Over 100,000 requests have been made to the DWP’s digital Proof of Benefit service which allows people to download or request a letter confirming their benefits to access discounts on broadband and council tax

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released a fresh update regarding an online service designed to assist individuals in saving money.

Since its inception in September 2025, the digital Proof of Benefit service has received over 100,000 requests.

This service enables users to download or request a letter confirming their benefits without the need to make a phone call or visit a Jobcentre.

Such a letter can facilitate savings from social tariffs on broadband to council tax reductions, as many organisations require proof of benefits before discounts can be accessed.

The service encompasses eight benefits: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), State Pension, Pension Credit, and Attendance Allowance, reports the Mirror.

Minister for Transformation, Andrew Western stated: “We are modernising DWP services, so they work better for everyone.

“This new 24/7 digital service is a great example of this, putting people firmly at the centre, giving them instant access to vital support when they need it.

“This is just the start of how we’re transforming DWP for the better – modernising DWP services to work around people’s lives – not the other way round.”

Future enhancements will enable customers to view payment information, report certain changes online and receive tailored support.

This comes as the DWP is transitioning from some older legacy benefits to Universal Credit.

Universal Credit has taken the place of most Tax Credits, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Housing Benefit claims. However, you can still claim Housing Benefit if you reside in supported or temporary accommodation.

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is also being phased out in favour of Universal Credit, with the DWP aiming to have all claimants transferred by March 31, 2026.

If you’re an income-related ESA claimant, you should have received your “migration notice” detailing the transition process in the final months of last year.

This “migration notice” provides a three-month deadline for transitioning to Universal Credit – beyond this point, your existing benefits will cease.

According to the DWP, 55 percent of individuals will be financially better off on Universal Credit, whilst 35 percent will be worse off. The remaining claimants will see no change.

If you’re set to be worse off under Universal Credit, you’ll receive monthly transition payments to cover any shortfall.

This transitional protection remains in place until there’s no difference between your new Universal Credit award and what you previously received under legacy benefits.

However, these transitional payments are only available if you wait to be transferred through the “managed migration” process.

From gastropubs with national acclaim to welcoming village locals, here are five of the best across the county, according to reviews online:

The Star Inn, Harome

Main Street, Harome, near Helmsley, YO62 5JE

One of the most celebrated pubs in the region, The Star Inn in Harome has built a national reputation for its ingredient-led cooking served in a 14th-century thatched inn.

Regularly featuring in major food guides, the pub is known for combining “rustic charm” with “refined dishes” that showcase Yorkshire produce.

Diners frequently praise the quality of the seasonal menus, “attentive service” and the “cosy yet elegant atmosphere”.

The Malt Shovel at Brearton (Image: TRIPADVISOR)

Online reviewers often describe it as a “destination for special occasions”, with many highlighting the consistency of both food and hospitality.

Its gardens and traditional interiors only add to its appeal, according to diners.

The Alice Hawthorn

The Green, Nun Monkton, York, YO26 8EW

Overlooking the village green in Nun Monkton, The Alice Hawthorn offers “classic country-pub charm with a modern focus on food”, according to reviews.

Housed in a historic 18th-century building, it has been carefully restored to retain exposed beams and period features while delivering a contemporary dining experience.

Reviewers regularly commend the “warm welcome”, “well-executed British dishes” and “relaxed setting”.

Its combination of “quality food”, local ales and “stylish rooms” has made it a firm favourite with both York residents and visitors exploring the surrounding countryside.

The Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton

Main Street, West Witton, Leyburn DL8 4LS

Set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, The Wensleydale Heifer has become one of the area’s most talked-about inns.

Holding an impressive 4.8-star rating on TripAdvisor from more than 1,400 reviews, it is particularly well known for its seafood dishes alongside traditional pub favourites.

Visitors frequently highlight the “generous portions”, “friendly service” and “relaxed yet polished atmosphere”.

A traditional coaching inn with boutique-style rooms, it attracts walkers, food lovers and weekend break visitors alike, with many reviewers describing it as a “must-visit” when in the Dales.

The Angel at Hetton, Hetton

Back Lane, Hetton, Skipton, BD23 6LT

Tucked away in a small Dales village near Skipton, The Angel at Hetton blends historic character with ambitious, modern British cooking, according to people online,

The pub has earned widespread praise for its tasting menus and carefully sourced ingredients.

Online reviews often reference the “quality of presentation” and “depth of flavour”, alongside the “attentive service”.

Despite its fine-dining credentials, the setting remains rooted in traditional village pub surroundings, making it popular for celebratory meals as well as relaxed countryside dining.

The Malt Shovel, Brearton

Main Street, Brearton, Knaresborough HG3 3BX

A Yorkshire village pub just outside Knaresborough, The Malt Shovel offers a more traditional take on the county’s pub scene, per reviews online.

With a strong reputation for “hearty British classics”, “well-kept ales” and “welcoming staff”, it consistently earns positive reviews from locals and visitors alike.

Diners often comment on the “friendly atmosphere” and “reliable, well-portioned dishes”.

Its location in the quiet village of Brearton makes it a popular stop for walkers and those seeking a relaxed meal away from busier places.

Earlier this month, former English National Opera artistic director John Berry said opera in the UK needed to “attract good writers and tell better stories” that could tap into the zeitgeist, making the art form more contemporary and accessible. But is this kind of approach enough to capture the attention of new and younger audiences? In the same week, actor Timothée Chalamet caused a furore when he dismissed ballet and opera as art forms that younger people “did not care about”.

Often regarded as an “elite” art form, opera undoubtedly has an image problem in that it is seen as the preserve of rich older white people, which risks alienating those who feel it excludes and is not for them. At the same time – like much of the arts – opera is under attack from funding cuts and needs to attract new and more diverse audiences if it is to survive long term. So what is the position of opera in the UK and what does it need to do to secure its future? We asked four experts in the field.

Embrace a greater range of influences

Jen Harvie, Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance, Queen Mary University of London

John Berry’s comment raises crucial questions: more generally, what should the arts do? And for opera: what should a traditionally “elitist” art form do? My answer: publicly subsidised arts have an ethical duty to reach as wide an audience as possible.

This doesn’t mean the arts should dumb down – a horrible, patronising phrase. It means traditionally elite arts like opera must adapt to broaden their appeal. I am not alone in my view. Research commissioned by Arts Council England on opera in 2024 says the same thing: that opera’s audiences are usually white, older and richer than England’s general population.

To expand audiences, opera must embrace a greater range of influences, from musicals to concept albums and music videos. It should commission new English-language librettos and mixed spoken/sung operettas. It should commission stories that resonate with audiences across all ages, classes and ethnicities. At the same time, opera’s funders must support both formal innovation and arts education, to facilitate access to opera.

Opera is full of extraordinary performance, music, song, storytelling, stagecraft, costume and design. It faces an ethical responsibility – and an opportunity – to share these riches with more of us.

Transform the operatic ecosystem

Edward Venn, Professor of Music at the University of Leeds

Beneath its attention-grabbing provocations, Berry’s call for the evolution of opera contains a deceptively simple question: how are we going to
encourage writers? Clearly, opera benefits from showcasing authentic creative
voices that speak to a wide audience.

But the answer does not lie in enticing the latest Netflix sensation to pen a libretto. Rather, evolution requires the whole operatic ecosystem to transform so that those performing, directing and creating operatic stories better reflect our society.

This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

The opera industry is working hard within the considerable constraints of arts and education funding cuts and a wider cost-of-living crisis to effect such a transformation. But there is still a long way to go before the demographics of performers replicate those of wider society, and longer still for the creative teams backstage.

The industry tends towards creative reworkings of canonic repertoire rather than financially more risky new commissions. This means opportunities for composers and writers to produce new work that speaks to contemporary issues become vanishingly rare.

Sustainable evolution comes from nurturing a diverse, rich talent pool; such diversity can in turn result in a wealth of authentic, compelling operatic stories. But this requires creative risk-taking at a time when opera companies can ill afford to do so.

Develop new writers, composers and audiences

Jennifer Daniel, Senior Lecturer in Musical Theatre at Edge Hill University

To “own the zeitgeist in the performing arts”, as Berry suggests, opera does need to develop its form, its artists – and crucially, its audiences. Is that really about drawing big names into the writing process? Opera librettists are distinctive – they create musically, often in established partnerships with composers (such as Alasdair Middleton with Jonathan Dove).

They take on dramaturgical responsibility for musical storytelling, often finding ways to write less. Writing an opera can take years, is seldom profitable, and skills most often developed for the love of it rather than acclaim or financial reward. Opera writers really want to write opera. And companies such as Opera North have made the case that the publicly funded opera company has the public responsibility to develop those distinct artists in developing the form.

Just as important, audiences also have to be developed in readiness to receive. In the best cases, companies’ outreach and education work extends our understanding and enhances our reception of opera, including the challenging and the new.

Such initiatives are applied across an incredibly broad social and age spectrum by companies such as Opera North, ENO, Royal Opera and the rest. The balance of cost and popularity means that relatively few full-scale new operas are produced. Small, agile productions can be hugely innovative and accessible if we can tear ourselves away from the grandeur of the mainstage auditorium.

But concurrent and equally important to the development of new work is the development of a wide audience. There must be a commitment to ensuring that each generation anew is culturally primed and able to access an art form – from the 1700s right up to the present moment – that is live, spectacular, unmediated and essentially human. If “opera if wants to own the zeitgeist” in an age of AI, technology and unprecedented mediation, this is, perhaps, where we should place our attention.

Invest in well-conceived outreach programmes

Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children’s Literature & Childhood Culture and Director of the Centre for Childhood Cultures at Queen Mary University of London

When I was a teenager my class got on a coach to London to take part in a workshop with Glyndebourne Opera, where I sang and found out about Dvořák and his gripping mermaid story, Rusalka (1901). In the evening, we went to see that story performed. I was not much of a singer and there was no way I would have seen an opera otherwise. Nor would I have been able to make much sense of it without the workshop. The entire trip cost £5 and I’ve never forgotten it.

Opera companies don’t need TV writers as much as they need well-funded and well-conceived outreach programmes. They need to be operating within a culture where, from birth, children have opportunities to experience the sheer wonder of sound that a voice can produce. Fortunately, companies like HurlyBurly in shows like You Are The Sun are already offering this with great skill and care. We need children to be regularly singing, shouting and using their voices.

Young audiences can’t tell what they like or don’t like unless they get to experience it for themselves. Invest in outreach. And as the massive success of an artist like Rosalía suggests, don’t underestimate their eclecticism and openness.