Benefit cap failing

A study by the Chartered Institute of Housing of the implementation of the benefit cap  has found that it is neither saving money nor getting benefits recipients into employment, according to a report in The Guardian. The research, conducted in the London Borough of Haringey, found that the policy had cut £60,000 a week from the benefits bill. However, the council was spending £55,000 a week on short-term discretionary grants to help claimants affected by the policy.

Meanwhile, The Independent reports that the coalition's flagship Youth Contract is failing to tackle youth unemployment. One quarter of the way through the programme, the paper notes, only one eighth of the places on scheme have been allocated and only one 80th of the in work subsidies have been used.

The Centre is monitoring changes in the welfare system as part of its annual UK Justice Policy Review series. The first and second reports in the series can be downloaded from the project page on the Centre's website. The third report is due out in early 2014.