UC data win, welfare reforms, poverty in Wales, 5 years of CTR scheme trends and more

Top stories

1. Policy in Practice’s UC data roundtable drives change - what councils need to know

We’re proud to share a major win for local authorities: the DWP has confirmed it will begin testing enhanced sharing of Universal Credit (UC) data with a small group of councils by Spring 2026, with the aim to roll it out nationwide later that year.

This progress is the direct result of lobbying efforts by our UC data roundtable, a group we convened to push for greater data access for local authorities. One of our attendees submitted the parliamentary question that sparked this development, showing the power of collective action.

Read the full announcement

Ask to join our UC data roundtable

But there’s an urgent issue on the horizon. With the DWP’s new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) coming into effect in early June, councils may consider deleting their existing UC data. We strongly advise against this.

Our latest blog, How councils can make the most of Universal Credit data through DWP’s latest MOU, explains why now is the time to retain and use this data more strategically than ever, not discard it.
Read the blog

2. Welfare reform in the spotlight ahead of the Spending Review

With the Spending Review scheduled for 11 June, we’ve been at the heart of the conversation about the government’s potential plans for changes to the welfare system. Our disability benefits impact analysis was recently featured in i News, highlighting how proposed cuts to Winter Fuel Payments and Personal Independence Payments could hit red wall areas hardest.

To add perspective, Deven Ghelani joined Shelagh Fogarty on LBC, to discuss rumoured benefit clawbacks, including Child Benefit. While Deven supported sensible tax reforms, he challenged the logic behind benefit proposals that disincentivise work, like the idea of a parent on £59,000 turning down a raise to avoid losing Child Benefit. Listen to the full discussion.

As well as commenting, we’re asking the tough questions. Deven attended the Secretary of State’s recent speech at the IPPR where he raised concerns about how past welfare reforms have driven people onto disability benefits like PIP. The Secretary of State acknowledged the work of Policy in Practice and invited us to follow up with her office for further discussion. Read more.

3. New policy analysis: Making local support work better

This month, Policy in Practice published two major pieces of analysis showing how councils can improve financial support for residents and why now is the time to act. These projects show how data driven policy and proactive outreach can reduce hardship and strengthen local safety nets.

Our new report, Five years of CTR trends, reveals that support through local Council Tax Reduction schemes has shrunk over time, while arrears have risen, especially for low income households. The data shows that councils face growing pressure, and residents are struggling.
Read the report and listen to the fireside chat
Read the blog

Working with the GLA and five London boroughs, we helped councils identify eligible older residents and connect them with unclaimed Attendance Allowance. The pilot resulted in over £1 million in new support unlocked each year.
Read the report, Letters that changed lives: Boosting Attendance Allowance take up in London
Read the blog

4. Shaping the debate on poverty in Wales

Policy in Practice is helping lead the conversation on poverty and welfare reform in Wales, with our latest analysis making national headlines and reaching Parliament.

Our latest report for the Bevan Foundation shows that proposed disability benefit changes could push 190,000 people in Wales, over 6% of the population, into deeper poverty. Some may see their support fall by 68%, with poverty rates rising from 24.5% to 78.3%. Read the report.

Sam Fathers shared these findings on BBC Walescast with Felicity Evans, joined by Mick Antoniw MS, showing how the data reflects lived experience. Watch the TV clip and read the BBC News coverage.

Our work was also cited by Liz Saville Roberts MP in Parliament, highlighting the real impact of benefit reform in devolved nations. Read about the debate.

Policy in Practice and Pocket Power join forces to boost efficiency and support tenants in the housing sector

Through our new partnership with Pocket Power, Policy in Practice is making it easier for housing providers to improve operational efficiency by seamlessly combining award winning income maximisation software with expenditure reduction know-how.

Together, we offer an enhanced customer journey that enables housing providers to deliver timely, targeted support at scale.

This collaboration creates new opportunities for housing providers to help residents maximise their income and reduce their expenditure, with the added benefit of maintaining a stable tenancy.

Ask for more details

Congratulations to Chris Riches, Anti Poverty Development Officer, South Cambridgeshire District Council, who has been named Star of the Year for leading an impactful programme using our Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) platform.

Under Chris’s leadership, the council has:

Unlocked £3.6 million in previously unclaimed benefits
Helped 246 households increase their income by nearly £400,000
Delivered the largest rise in NHS Healthy Start uptake in the country
Boosted Pension Credit uptake by over £300,000 a year

Their work has also been featured in the Cambridgeshire Poverty Commission Report as an example of how data led strategies can build financial resilience and reduce hardship.

“It’s easy to forget the real impact this programme has had on residents,” Chris said. “But when someone tells you they’re now receiving over £100 a week thanks to your campaign, you know you’re making a difference.”

We’re proud to support this success and we’re here to help other councils tell their story too. If you use our products and want to showcase your impact, contact us for marketing support.

New in MAST: Priority alerts

We’re excited to introduce Priority alerts, a powerful new feature in our Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST) platform that helps safeguarding professionals respond faster and more proactively.

For decades, effective information sharing has been recognised as a critical challenge in both child protection and adult safeguarding. MAST was created to address this by securely linking data across key agencies, including children’s and adults’ social care, health, police and fire services every day, underpinned by robust information governance.

Now, with Priority alerts, users can receive real time email notifications whenever there’s an update related to a person or address on their customised priority cases list. This means:

Faster responses to critical developments
More efficient workload management
Proactive support for those in vulnerable situations

By allowing users to focus on the individuals and households they’re directly responsible for, Priority alerts help ensure that no one slips through the cracks.

Learn more about MAST

We were pleased to share how 1 in 3 local authorities are using data to better support financially vulnerable residents at the Telsolutions and Ascendant Solutions Innovations Conference this month.

Abigail Everett, Head of Client Services, Policy in Practice, highlighted how councils can use data to assess the local impact of welfare reforms, identify unclaimed support, and provide targeted help to individual households. Case studies included:

A £33 million boost in Pension Credit take up across London
Innovative social tariff campaigns helping residents access support for essentials like water
Healthy Start outreach, delivering direct financial support and improving collections through better engagement

This month Deven Ghelani, Izabel Bahia and Sam Fathers represented Policy in Practice at the LACEF Conference in Brighton, meeting local authorities to discuss Council Tax Reduction (CTR), collections, and data driven approaches to identifying and supporting vulnerable residents.

With local elections shifting leadership and ongoing discussions about the future of CTR, Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) and the Household Support Fund (HSF), the team shared how we help councils deliver targeted, affordable support while improving collection rates by increasing household income.

We’ve enjoyed engaging with many of our partners and putting faces to names, especially those who’ve worked with us on CTR modelling.