Re: No plan B? Seriously?
quote: "They already want to pay us monthly instead of weekly/fortnightly, which will make things very difficult for a lot of people, and they want all payments to go to one member of the family which would cause even more problems for many people when there are two or more people receiving benefits in the family."
Speaking as someone who has previously moved from a weekly pay packet to a monthly one, it does force you to make more effort in planning spending, and arranging bill times. If income is the same overall though, it is generally a minor inconvenience.
Speaking as someone who has also moved from a personal account to a joint account, it also forces you to look more critically at the spending habits of all parties involved, and possibly require some candid talks regarding what will and will not be acceptable without consultation between parties. This is not insurmountable though, if you are already making an effort at peaceful cohabitation.
Speaking as someone who has money transferred from another person's account on a regular basis (to cover their share of bills), that seems to work absolutely fine, as long as you trust the other person. Standing orders will even automate the process for you, if one party is not as, err... "temporally reliable" as they could be to ensure it is always done on time.
I understand your concerns, however they are all, in general, also applicable to people not on benefits, living in shared family situations who have one or more earners in the household. Fiscal products exist (joint accounts, automated transfers) that can help with the management of the situation even with those restrictions on payment placed upon them by the government.