Hi (apologies first - mistakenly posted this query in PC forum to begin with)
My clients are a couple planning a civil partnership ceremony and trying to work out the implications for the benefits that one of them is currently in receipt of. The "complication" is that they both live in their own accommodation and plan to keep this arrangement.
Person 1 has a tenancy with the local authority. He receives SDA, IS and DLA (high rate of both components) as well as full HB/CTB. He also has a 24 hour care package (a live-in Personal Assistant) due to his disabilities funded via Direct payment, the Independent living Fund and half his DLA care component.
Person 2 is employed full-time earning around 35K pa and has his own property in a different area of the country which he shares with 2 siblings - they all contribute towards the mortgage.
The couple do not plan to move in together after the civil ceremony in part because Person 2's house is not big enough to accommodate his new partner and his partner's full-time PA but mainly because both want to retain their existing accommodation. As Person 1's job takes him away from home a lot the couple have stated they will likely divide their time between both places but with no fixed plans for this.
Having explored all the possible effects of this upon person 1's means-tested benefits, I am struggling to find any examples of such an arrangement and therefore nothing to suggest that his benefits will be affected once they are officially a couple but still living apart. I'm not sure if I'm missing something really obvious here but can you please clarify:
1) the impact if any of the civil partnership/proposed living arrangements on person 1's means tested benefits and possibly the Direct Payments for his care package
2) what changes, if any, is Person 1 required to notify the LA/DWP of regarding the change of circumstances save the civil partnership itself
3) Anything else they should be aware of?
Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks