Volunteers not out to lunch
23rd August 2006, 11:03 am
The Department of Work and Pensions has announced that in future people on benefits who are volunteering will have lunchtime meals treated as an expense that can be claimed back without impact on benefits. However, this change from the position stated in the recently published guidance ‘A guide to volunteering while on benefits’ is not immediate - they say “We will be working closely with charities and volunteering organisations over the coming weeks and months to implement the changes quickly and smoothly as possible.”
Volunteering England had been planning to run a ‘Lunch Expenses Protest Week’ (w.c. 14th August). News items from them and DWP are currently linked from VE’s front page, at http://www.volunteering.org.uk.