Policy in Practice submitted written evidence outlining how there are practical issues for claimants to address in accessing job centres and their services in the more rural areas of Scotland. In their research, Policy in Practice found that uptake of benefits in rural areas decreases by up to 7% in some cases when compared with urban areas.158 They suggested that this issue would be important to consider when thinking about how 149 Q74 150 Q111 151 Q73 152 Q60 153 Q92 154 Q37 155 Q145 156 Q4...

Policy in Practice submitted written evidence outlining how there are practical issues for claimants to address in accessing job centres and their services in the more rural areas of Scotland. In their research, Policy in Practice found that uptake of benefits in rural areas decreases by up to 7% in some cases when compared with urban areas.158 They suggested that this issue would be important to consider when thinking about how 149 Q74 150 Q111 151 Q73 152 Q60 153 Q92 154 Q37 155 Q145 156 Q49 157 Q49 158 Policy in Practice (WPS0010) 30 Welfare policy in Scotland to support low-income households in rural areas in Scotland.159 In its evidence Type: conclusion | Number: 65 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: DWP and the Social Security Scotland have recently established a regular Operational Reference Group to look at ways of continuously improving the benefits experience of DWP and Social Security Scotland’s shared customers. The Group will review service delivery is