Regulation 6 Amendments to the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002

The State Pension Credit Regulations 2002^f1 are amended as follows.

After the definition of “the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” in regulation 1(2) (interpretation), insert—

• ““local welfare provision” means occasional financial or other assistance given by a local authority, the Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Ministers, or a person authorised to exercise any function of, or provide a service to, them, to or in respect of individuals for the purpose of—

  1. (a)

     meeting, or helping to meet, an immediate short term need—

     1. (i)

        arising out of an exceptional event, or exceptional circumstances; and

     2. (ii)

        that requires to be met in order to avoid a risk to the well-being of an individual; or

  2. (b)

     enabling individuals to establish or maintain a settled home, where those individuals have been or, without the assistance, might otherwise be—

     1. (i)

        in prison, hospital, a residential care establishment or other institution; or

     2. (ii)

        homeless or otherwise living an unsettled way of life;”.

In Schedule 2 (housing costs)—

In Schedule 5 (income from capital), at the end of paragraph 20(1)(d)^f4, insert—

“; or

(e)

by way of local welfare provision including arrears and payments in lieu of local welfare provision; or

(f)

in consequence of a reduction of council tax under section 13, 13A or 80 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (reduction of liability of council tax).”.