Social Security Minister, Deputy Susie Pinel, has announced proposals to make improvements across all areas of Income Support.
Income support provides financial help for individuals and families with low income; including carers and people with a disability or long term health condition.
The Minister’s proposal will improve the financial incentive to work by allowing households to keep more of their earned income without it affecting their benefits. From 1st October 2017 this protected income will rise from 23p to 25p in the £1.
The proposal also sets out to increase Income Support rates by 2.9% from 1 October 2017, in line with the increase in the cost of living over the last 12 months. This is due to be debated by the States Assembly in mid-July.
The Minister explained “These proposals will make it more worthwhile than ever before for people on Income Support to find work or to secure a better paying job. We will be in an even stronger place to help families towards financial independence; this package also increases our support for low income pensioners and other vulnerable groups.”