The Scottish and Welsh governments are pressing UK ministers to scrap the benefit cap, the bedroom tax and the Local Housing Allowance freeze in next week's Budget, according to the NEN press service.
NEN reports that Scotland's Social Justice Secretary and the Welsh Deputy First Minister sent a joint letter to Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and Lucy Powell, the Education Secretary.
The letter argues that the Local Housing Allowance freeze widens the gap between housing benefit and real-world rents, and that this drives homelessness and poverty. It also calls for a social tariff on energy to be introduced urgently, for plans to cut energy bills, and for more devolved powers.
NEN reports the letter as saying: "The UK Government must now take action in their Budget to cut bills and boost living standards."
According to NEN, the letter also says that if the UK Government will not act on bills and living standards, it should hand the powers to a Scottish Government that would.
No UK Government response to the letter, and no costing of its demands, has been reported.
The Chancellor, John Healey, delivers the Budget on Wednesday 28 October.