Transcript Document 7231215

Update and Impact of Welfare
Reform
Wednesday 20th November 2013
Welcome from Chair
Welfare Reform: The
emerging picture
Allen Graham
Chief Executive Rushcliffe
Borough Council
Reforms to date
Localised Council Tax Support Schemes
 Local Housing Allowance Reform
 Under occupation penalty
 Benefit Cap
 Local Welfare Assistance Schemes

Welfare Reform Steering Group
Representatives of upper and lower tier
authorities
 Sharing experience, intelligence and good
practice
 Data collection exercise

0
West Lindsey
District Council
South
Northamptonshire
South Holland
District Council
Rutland County
Council
Oadby & Wigston
Borough Council
North West
Leicestershire
North East
Derbyshire DC
Melton Borough
Council
Lincoln City
Council
Kettering Borough
Council
High Peak
Borough Council
Gedling Borough
Council
East
Northamptonshire
Derbyshire Dales
District Council
Daventry District
Council
Chesterfield
Borough Council
Broxtowe
Borough Council
Bolsover District
Council
Bassetlaw District
Council

Amber Valley
Borough Council
The emerging East Midlands
picture ….
Localised Council Tax
Support Schemes
90000
80000
70000
60000
Mar-10
50000
40000
Mar-11
Mar-12
30000
Sep-12
Mar-13
20000
10000
Localised Council Tax Support
Schemes analysis
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





The data in the previous slide demonstrates that the benefit claimant
count in the East Midlands has increased or remains static.
DWP position nationally is that benefit count should be falling due to
unemployment falling but the reason for the East Midlands profile
may be due to many claimants in part time work or on zero hours
contracts
Implications of other benefit changes are also impacting on low paid
working families-Tax Credits
Collection rates vary between an increase of 0.59 in one district to a
fall of 1.25% .
88.9% of respondents report a fall in collection
Cost of recovery is increasing
Initial rates of recovery are falling further down the year as more
people are finding it harder to pay
LA's
West Lindsey
District Council
South
Northamptonshire
South Holland
District Council
Rushcliffe
Borough Council
Oadby & Wigston
Borough Council
North West
Leicestershire
North East
Derbyshire DC
Melton Borough
Council
Lincoln City
Council
Kettering Borough
Council
High Peak
Borough Council
Gedling Borough
Council
East
Northamptonshire
Derbyshire Dales
District Council
Daventry District
Council
Chesterfield
Borough Council
Broxtowe Borough
Council
Bolsover District
Council
Bassetlaw District
Council
Amber Valley
Borough Council
Numbers
Local Housing Allowance Reform
LHA Caseloads
50000
45000
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Sep-12
Mar-13
Sep-13
Local Housing Allowance Reform
Analysis
Local authorities could lobby for additional
funding in respect of DHPs
 Have DHP budgets been profiled?
 Potential for local authorities to work as a
consortium providing support particularly
for smaller authorities

LA's
West Lindsey
District Council
South
Northamptonshire
South Holland
District Council
Rushcliffe
Borough Council
Oadby & Wigston
Borough Council
North West
Leicestershire
North East
Derbyshire DC
Melton Borough
Council
Lincoln City
Council
Kettering Borough
Council
High Peak
Borough Council
Gedling Borough
Council
East
Northamptonshire
Derbyshire Dales
District Council
Daventry District
Council
Chesterfield
Borough Council
Broxtowe Borough
Council
Bolsover District
Council
Bassetlaw District
Council
Amber Valley
Borough Council
Number
Under Occupation Penalty
Under occupancy - Number with two extra bedrooms
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Sep-12
Mar-13
Sep-13
Under occupation penalty analysis
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Numbers affected have come down
There may be issues regarding initial data
accuracy due to discrepancies in local and
central government data
Thought could be given to how the DHP criteria
is drawn up in individual local authorities to
support these vulnerable people
Stock profile-smaller properties are not
immediately available?
LA's
West Lindsey
District Council
South
Northamptonshire
South Holland
District Council
Rushcliffe
Borough Council
Oadby & Wigston
Borough Council
North West
Leicestershire
North East
Derbyshire DC
Melton Borough
Council
Lincoln City
Council
Kettering Borough
Council
High Peak
Borough Council
Gedling Borough
Council
East
Northamptonshire
Derbyshire Dales
District Council
Daventry District
Council
Chesterfield
Borough Council
Broxtowe Borough
Council
Bolsover District
Council
Bassetlaw District
Council
Amber Valley
Borough Council

Numbers
Benefit Cap
Numbers of people
affected by the benefit
cap
Numbers affected by benefit cap
400
350
300
250
Sep-12
200
Mar-13
150
100
Sep-13
50
0
Benefit Cap analysis

Numbers have fallen from those predicted
due to improved data accuracy from initial
predictions
Welfare Assistance Scheme
Analysis
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Early issues with interpretation from DWP staff
Local provision has led to more efficient delivery
of the fund
Local authorities can react to local
circumstances
Move away from cash to benefits in kind
Most schemes have been reviewed. One
authority has withdrawn the scheme in 2014/15
Universal Credit
Where next?
Building a further suite of indicators including:-
Homelessness presentations
 Empty residential properties
 Social Housing Rent arrears
 Advice and guidance services requests

East Midlands Labour Market


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November DWP figures indicate falling
unemployment 7.1% and rising employment
72.4%
A fall in the number of people claiming JSA
(0.1%) but an increase in those claiming JSA for
12 months or more (5.2%) and 5.6% increase for
those claiming for more than 24 months
National data confirms that increase in
employment is particularly in part time
employment
Key Issue for Members
Does this picture resonate?
 What are your key concerns despite what
the data may imply?

Local impacts of welfare
reform
Rose Doran, Senior Adviser,
Local Government Association
East Midlands 20/112013
www.local.gov.uk
The welfare reforms
•
Changes to tax credits
•
Changes to Housing Benefit (HB) for renters in the private sector
•
Tightening of eligibility and the restriction of contributory Employment and
Support Allowance (ESA) to one year
•
The replacement of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal
Independence Payment (PIP)
•
The replacement of Council Tax Benefit with locally-determined Council Tax
Support schemes
•
The removal of the “spare room subsidy” for most HB recipients in social housing
•
The introduction of a cap on total benefit receipt
•
The uprating of benefits and tax credits by 1% instead of the CPI
•
The replacement of the Social Fund with Local Welfare Support
•
The introduction of Universal Credit
Breakdown of projected savings in 2015/16, Great Britain (£ million)
www.local.gov.uk
Universal Credit
• UC replaces the following benefits/tax
credits:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Working Tax Credit,
Child Tax Credit,
Housing Benefit,
Income Support,
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support
Allowance.
• Will support working age adults and
children
The LGA will
• Help councils as they support their
residents through the changes the
government’s welfare reform programme
will make
• Influence the government’s decisions
about councils’ future role in the welfare
system.
The local impacts of welfare
reform
The LGA commissioned the Centre for
Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI) to
look at the scale of overall aggregate gains /
losses resulting from the reforms at local
authority level and the scope for mitigation
through a housing and / or employment
route for those affected by reductions in
household income.
Cumulative impact
• Estimates that the income of households claiming benefit will
be on average lower by £1,615 a year – or £31 a week – in
2015/16 as a result of welfare reforms. This excludes the
impact of Universal Credit.
• At a local authority level, the average impacts per claimant
household are relatively evenly spread – with all regions
except London seeing average losses between £1,500 and
£1,650 per year. Larger impacts due to more people out of
work and/ or on low incomes in work in the northern half of the
country balanced by far higher housing costs in the southern
half of the country.
• The impacts of reforms are likely to be most strongly felt in
areas with the highest dependence on benefit
Impact of Housing Benefit
reforms
• Around one in ten working age households will be
impacted by one or more of the Housing Benefit reforms,
with an average loss of £1,215 per year - or £23 per
week . (If you exclude London, the average loss per
household falls to £940 per year).
• 70% of which will be households where no one works.
• Households are generally more likely to be impacted in
the north than the south of the country
• Impacts per household are significantly greater in
southern England – reflecting the high costs of housing
in these areas.
Strivers v skivers?
• Overall, 45% of households of “working age” receive one
of the main state benefits (ie a department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) benefit or tax credits)
• The report estimates that three fifths (59%) of all welfare
reform reductions fall on households where somebody
works. The reductions for working households are
greater than the reductions for households where no one
works in 314 of the 325 local authorities in this analysis
• Will Universal Credit improve work incentives?
• Increasing local focus on the working poor
Mitigation
• The Government’s own research suggests that behavioural
responses to welfare reforms have been limited so far
• CESI estimate that in their (relatively generous) central scenario
23% of the total households impacted by the key housing benefit
reforms may be successful in taking steps to mitigate the impacts of
reform through a housing or employment route
• Once plausible responses by tenants are taken into account DHPs
would cover just £1 in every £7 of the impact of housing reforms on
tenants.
For the reforms to work…
• There is a need for greater local freedom and flexibility
for councils to address the under-supply of affordable
housing
• There is a need for greater freedom and flexibility for
councils to deliver strong local economies and support
people into employment
• The is a need for local knowledge and discretion in
supporting people with particular needs or vulnerabilities
both with claiming Universal Credit and managing /
mitigating the impact of the reforms – Community
Budgets approach
• All of the above must be adequately and appropriately
funded
Managing impact at the local
level
• Local context: housing; employment;
economy
• Individuals and households: support with
claiming; debt advice; stability and
resilience
Council and LGA concerns
•
•
•
•
•
•
Universal Credit
Housing
Employment
SFIS
Disability reforms
Local welfare schemes; council tax
support
• 12th December conference
Further information…
www.local.gov.uk/finance
www.cesi.org.uk
[email protected]
Understanding Community
Concerns
Richard Evans & Helen Child
LeicesterShire Citizens Advice Bureau
@LeicsShireCAB
The National Picture
• 2,294,740 benefit enquiries in last 4 quarters
– 36% total CAB enquiries
– 191,994 in East Midlands = 39.4% of
enquiries
• 1,854,983 debt enquiries in last 4 quarters
– 29% total CAB enquiries
– 130,803 in East Midlands = 26.8% of
enquiries
The National Picture
•
Welfare Reform has reached the service
Enquiry Area
Number of Issues
(Q1 13-14)
National
Number of Issues
(Q1 13-14)
LeicesterShire CAB
Personal
Independence
Payment
8,395
431
Localised support
for council tax
25,080
678
638
17
6,334
106*
Benefit cap
Welfare reform
benefit loss
Universal Credit is yet to reach Leicestershire – already
advised 17 clients enquiries
National Trends
Benefit Change
• Under-occupancy
• Universal Credit
• PIP
• Sanctions
Knock-on Impact
• Referrals to food banks
• Energy price rises
• Rising pay day lending
Under-occupancy nationally
• Huge concern about impact, particularly on
vulnerable people
• Highlighted the lack of available alternative
accommodation for people who do want to
downsize
• The number of clients presenting with rent
arrears owing to local authorities and housing
associations are rising – up 10% and 6% on
this time last year
Under-occupancy locally
• Single disabled client, prompted to move from
4 bed to 2 bed, but has been told she does
not qualify for overnight carer exemption.
Client can either move again or absorb
payment of £11.91 p/w
• Single client with depression, he is carer for
his adult son who lives with him. They have a
3 bed because client’s ex-partner and her
children have only just moved out. Now
struggling to pay 14% and NDD
Universal Credit nationally
• Conducted baseline
research into UC
• Identified UC was
relevant to 50% of
clients
• Of those, 92% would
need support to
transition
• 85% would need help in
more than one area of
transition
• 81% of clients likely to
be UC either unaware
of UC, or unaware of
impact
Universal Credit locally
• In Q1 47% of issues raised involved benefit
which will be subsumed by UC – suggesting
our client group will be significantly effected
• We already assist significant numbers of
clients with forms – at least 175 in September
alone
• Greater impact expected in Leicester – more
clients who are not confident in
reading/writing English
PIP nationally
• Q1 – 8,395 advice queries relating to PIP
• Collecting evidence on processes and
decision
• Concern about removal of lower rate care
equivalent
• Loss of enhanced mobility component for
people who make effective use of mobility
aids – motability equipment lost,
independence compromised
PIP locally
• Limited roll out, but have already advised 431
people about PIP
• No local assessment centres – one client
asked to go to Cardiff!
• Capita missed 2 home visit appointments for
one client, without any notice or explanation
• One client – a British national since birth –
asked to send their original passport before a
claim could be started
Sanctions nationally
• Q2 – 64% increase in problems with
sanctions on last year
• Focus on the available options – increased
demand for food banks and reliance on local
welfare provision
Sanctions locally
• Client sanctioned for not attending an
interview when he was told by potential
employer – twice – that he should not attend
because he lacked necessary skills for the
role
– Client has been left with no money coming
in. He has become reliant on local food
banks. He feels he has been labelled a
“scrounger” but was acting on the
instructions he was given
Sanctions locally
• Client sanctioned for 3 months and not
eligible for hardship payment
– Client had no money for food or essential
bills. He could not wash himself or his
clothes. He resorted to using disabled
toilets with shower facilities and drying
himself with paper towels
Sanctions locally
• Many clients report not being told about
hardship payments
• Research in Leicester suggests people with
mental health or addiction problems, and
people who do not speak English confidently
are over-represented in people receiving
sanctions
Knock-on impacts
National
Local
• Referrals to food banks
– East Midlands CABx report
125% increase in referrals
in last 6 months
• Rising energy prices
– Choosing between heating
and eating
• Pay day loans
– Clients struggling with
benefit cuts or sanctions
are using high cost loans.
UC monthly payments
likely to exacerbate this
• Local food banks report being
swamped – asking to be
removed from referral lists
• Our own hardship funds used
to buy energy credits
• One client using Wonga to pay
the rent
Local welfare provision
Some local experiences...
– ESA claim lost – no advance could be paid – welfare refused
– not in receipt of qualifying benefit
– Client claiming but not receiving ESA – welfare refused
– not in receipt of qualifying benefit
– ESA appeal mysteriously cancelled – welfare refused
– not in receipt of qualifying benefit
Predictions
• Mandatory review – no payments during this period,
no deadline for how long decisions can be reviewed
– Likely to lead to more people with no income and
no access to local welfare provision
• Claimant Commitment replacing the Job Seekers
Agreement
– Likely to be more stringent – we could lose
volunteers – one volunteer now needing to apply
for 30 jobs per fortnight
Increasing role for Citizens Advice
• Explanation –
independent review of
what changes mean to
the individual client
• Options – holistic
discussion about what
client can do to
minimise exposure
• Action – help with
forms, accessing other
support
• Training – over 20 of
our staff and volunteers
can now deliver
financial capability
training
• Debt advice – helping
people stay in their
homes, helping councils
reduce the costs of debt
recovery
Follow us on Twitter
twitter.com/CitizensAdvice
@LeicsShireCAB
Like us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/CitizensAdvice
LeicesterShire CAB
Watch our films on YouTube
youtube.com/CitizensAdvice
Advice and news 24 hours a day
www.adviceguide.org.uk
www.leicscab.org.uk
Thank you
[email protected]
[email protected]
Welfare Reform: The Impact on
Housing
Impact of the Bedroom Size Criteria
1 in 10 council tenants in Kettering is
affected by the Bedroom Size Criteria
That’s 305 households
102
89
114
have clear
rent accounts
were in rent
arrears before
April
have gone into
rent arrears
since April
Impact of the Bedroom Size Criteria
2012/13
Rent arrears
Tenants in rent
arrears
Tenants owing more
than £500
2013/14
%
£236, 801 £299,483 +26.5%
1,396
1,531
9.67%
65
135
+107.7%
Impact of the Bedroom Size Criteria
 Engaging with hard-to-reach tenants is
a big issue for us
 Impact of JSA sanctions on tenants
with high arrears
 Mismatch between need and supply
 60% of households on the Keyways register
are singles and couples but only 29% of our
properties are one beds
 Demand for larger homes is softening
 Five adverts to let a three bedroom house
Helping Our Tenants
Tenancy
Support
Keyways
More priority
for tenants
looking to
downsize
1-2-1 support
to help tenants
to keep their
tenancies
Reclassify
Properties
with bedrooms
under 50 sq ft
Mutual
Exchange
£250 cash
incentive
payments
Tenant
Passport
Scheme
Move On,
Move In
Life skills
training for
young tenants
Boosting
housing
supply
More 1 and 2
beds
Certifying good
tenants
Jam Jar
Accounts
Working with
East Midlands
Credit Union
Working Closely With Partners
Points to Ponder.........
 It’s still early days – what will be the
impact of winter fuel bills?
 Welfare reform means much higher
costs for council landlords
 Communications, income management,
tenancy support and court costs
 Is a single rented housing market
now emerging?
Welfare Reform: The Impact on
Housing
The impact of
Welfare Reform
in Leicester
Karen Wenlock
Revenues & Benefits Manager
Content
• Outline of welfare reforms
– Social housing sector under occupancy
– Benefit Income capping
– Personal independence payments
– Universal credit
• Impact for housing, children and adults
Under-occupancy
Impact Analysis
• 22,120 Council properties
2,448 identified in April
by the end of September this has reduced to
2251
• 7,482 Housing Benefit claims in Housing Association stock of which 1,115
identified as affected by this rule in April, by the end of September this
has reduced to 984.
Reducing ? – changes to household make up, moved, no longer in receipt of benefits
Number of
rooms
Total
% loss of Housing
Benefit per week
Local average
National
average
One
2,617
14%
£11.07
£12.00
Two or more
633
25%
£19.97
£22.00
22/05/2016
63
Impact On Rent Collection(LA)
Will the rent arrears increase?
•
•
•
•
•
The rent bad debt provision has been increased in recognition collecting this debt will be
more difficult then in previous years.
In 11/12 16% of households had 2 or more weeks arrears of unpaid rent owing to the council.
We predict this may increase to 26% by the end of 2013/14.
Increase in debt to collect £2.3m (7.24%) Net debt to be collected 13/14 £32.1m compared
to 12/13 £29.8m
Collection prediction this year is 96.28% compared to the same time last year 98.6%
Impact at service level
•
•
•
We have carried out extensive communication programme focusing on advise leaflets and
fact sheets, direct mailing and telephone calls offering support
Telephone call volumes have significantly increased
Personal callers have increased.
What is the council doing to help?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Written to each council tenant giving information & advice
We have amended the allocations policy.
Promoting Easy Move and council house exchanges.
Introduction and promotion of Credit Union Budgeting Accounts (CUBA)
Tackling tenancy fraud to release stock back into the market
(From January 2012 to date we have 60 properties returned to stock, 2 Right to
buy applications prevented and 4 formal prosecutions)
We have also been successful in winning funding from the Chartered institute of
Housing to provide additional tenancy support.
Re-classification of bed rooms – 29 in council stock so far
Promotion of DHP
Benefit Income capping
•
Income for working age benefit claimants will be restricted to £500 a week for
families/lone parents/couples and £350pw for singles.
•
Any ‘benefit income’ above £500 will not be paid. Housing benefit is included in this but NOT
Council Tax Reduction. The impact will be felt in 2 phases.
•
Phase one:
Housing Benefit payments will reduce to as little as 50 pence per week from
August 2013
Phase two:
When Universal Credit (UC) comes in or a claim for UC is made/transferred over .
The household income from UC will be limited to the cap.
•
•
Exemptions apply to households who are in receipt of Working Tax Credit, Disabled Living
Allowance, (PIP), Attendance Allowance, Industrial Injury Benefits, War Widows Benefit and
Employment Support Allowance (support element).
•
Exemptions on tenure: Exempt accommodation such as extra care, voluntary sector hostels
Benefit Income Capping
from August 2013
How many households will be affected:
DWP scans showed there 725 households that could face the Benefit Income Cap in July.
By the end of September the actual number of households affected was 202
By how much will each household loose per week in Housing benefit?
46 households HB award has reduced to 50 pence per week.
84 household have lost between 50p and £50 a week
67 households have lost between £50 and £100
39 households have lost over £100 a week
Tenure:
103 households live in a privately rented property
57 households live in council housing
36 households live in housing association property
67
Benefit income capping
Impacts at Leicester
Family make up/gender:
• 110 couples with children
• 81 lone parent households
• 52 households have six or more children living there (20 are lone parents)
(Disproportionate affect on females as most lone parent households are female)
Ethnicity:
• 79 BME households
• 88 White or white British households
• 29 households where we do not known the ethnicity
No disabled or pensioner households as these are exempt from the rule.
Income:
79 in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance
61 in receipt of Income Support (likelihood is they have a child under 5 years old)
46 in receipt od Employment Support Allowance
10 have other income sources such as maternity benefit or child tax credits
(student households)
What support is there?
• Help setting up arrangements to pay their rent
• Help to move to cheaper accommodation should they wish
to.
• DHP’s can help ensure they do not get into rent arrears
while they wait for suitable accommodation
• Budgeting advice
• JCP are assisting households back into work
• Where they have not got in contact with us housing
management are looking to visit each household to offer
housing advice and financial advice and support, as are
other social landlords.
• NB) Eviction policy - Families in social housing are in the
cheapest available accommodation
2013/14
Discretionary fund allocation
Local Authority 2012/13
2013/14
Maximum fund
Leicester City
209,549
813,252
2,033,130
Nottingham
City
211,880
696,031
Derby City
234,767
560,754
Coventry City
329,445
798,643
Local Authority's are allocated a base fund for DHP’s. For Leicester in 2013/14 this is £813,252.
We can choose to increase the value of this fund through a general fund contribution up to a
maximum of £2,033,130.
NB) used 1/3 of budget so far, projected to spend full amount by the end of the
Financial year (BIC from Aug). 1900 applications so far/ 456 in total last year.
7% spend increased to 56% for disabled
70
Discretionary fund– Local Discretion
Working with our colleagues in Housing, Adult social care and Children's services the
Discretionary Housing payment fund will consider supporting:

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Helping households moving to smaller accommodation
Foster carers with a second spare room.
Care leavers up to 22 years old or 25 if at university
Carers –
Disabled claimants where a room is used to store medical equipment such as a dialysis machine.
Absent parent or shared care – we will consider helping cover the costs of this room in order to
support family relationships
Prospective Foster carer/adoptive parents - we could consider covering the bedroom tax for these
households for up to 6 months while the assessment is undertaken.
Supported households on the think family programme.
Family households where the children are under 10 years of age, currently required to share a
room, different genders, one of the children is nearly nine.
Lone parents- more difficulty finding work due to child care commitments
NB) Each case is considered on its own merits
Community Support Grant
• Local Welfare Assistance from April 2013
Welfare reforms
• Food
• Utilities
Mapping provision, developing a strategy
What affect are the changes having on
households with children?
CHILDRENS SERVICES
•
65,198 pupils attending schools in the city
•
•
13,006 Council Tax Reduction Scheme households have dependent children,
of these 7,279 are lone parent households
•
•
15,272 Housing Benefit households have dependents children,
of these 8,522 are lone parent households.
•
1294 Households subject to the under-occupancy rules and have children living in
the property,
of these 849 are lone parent households.
•
•
197 households where benefit income capping applies and children live at the
property
Impact on Children's services
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Projected increases in domestic violence and statutory child protection activity
may increase because of increase in family tension following financial crisis
Greater impact maybe felt by care leavers who have no home to return to if they
are homeless as a result of the reforms.
For care leavers the council funds a setting up home grant of £1,500. there maybe
a greater call on this support
There will be a greater call on all discretionary funds for additional help for
vulnerable families particularly with disabled residents
A mobile population with families separating and moving to Leicester will increase
the pressure on stretched services. Tracking safeguarding households will be
more difficult.
Planning for school places is problematic. Children may join school population
from outside the housing options route therefore our ability to monitor and
therefore apply a rational strategy for planned increases is difficult.
As more families seek work to improve their financial position is the child care
provision out there affordable, accessible and of a sufficient standard to support
these aspirations?
Personal independence payments
• Gradually replaces disability living allowance.
• Roll out in Leicester began June 2013
• Affects children reaching 16 years old and all new
‘working age’ claimants
• Migration of existing DLA claims from October 2015
• Tougher test, significant numbers will lose this
benefit.
• If they do not qualify for PIP then all the associated
benefits from exemptions, free services will be lost.
What affect will it have on our
services?
• We anticipate an increase of calls on
• Advice and support from welfare Rights and advocacy
work
• Demand on the emergency duty team
• Increase in referrals to Single Point Of Contact
• Increase in safeguarding referrals
• Increase in mental health referrals
• Increase in crime and theft
Universal Credit roll out
New timetable for roll out has not yet been agreed.
Many of the changes made so far are paving the way for
universal credit
eg housing allowance/maximum income level
Impacts will continue to be felt.
Lone parents who find work are likely to receive a more generous
allowance under the UC so until UC comes in they may find it more
difficult to move into work.
NB)
New single tier pension -2016 so housing credit element of Pension
Credit to be put back to 2017/18 at earliest
Supporting Councillors
• Regular meetings/updates with service councillor
leads
• Training and information sessions
• Information packs giving advice & information to
enable councillors to assist or signpost
constituents
•
Pack included:- CT recovery billing procedures, Housing Management
guidance on advice /help available including contact details, Advice booklet re
provision of specialist free advice in the city.
• Mapping of provisions, job clubs etc to check long term
provisions needed when UC is introduced.
Thank you
• Any questions?
• My contact details are:
Karen Wenlock
Revenues & Benefits Manager
[email protected]
Event Round Up
Looking forward………….
The next Regional Briefing for Councillors
will take place on:
Date: 29th January 2014
Topic: Planning - the councillor role in
planning today