Briefings
Housing demand and supply: are we building enough homes?
Network briefing by Roger Jarman
Supporting customers of temporary and supported accommodation through welfare reform
Network briefing by Lesley Healey
The impact of welfare reform on tenants and providers of supported and temporary housing
Complimentary NeighbourhoodNet briefing by Lesley Healey
Left hand, right hand: housing regulation cultures in England and Scotland
Network briefing by Janis Bright
A housing practitioner’s guide to the draft Anti-social Behaviour Bill
Network briefing by Tim Horsley
The Housing Benefit size criteria restrictions for working age claimants in the social rented sector
Network briefing by Sue Beasor
Cashback: an update on the DIY repairs scheme for tenants
Network briefing by Mark Smulian
Regeneration and housing: ways forward in difficult times
Network briefing by Charlie Hughes
Mobility in social housing – a briefing for strategic housing authorities and all social landlords
Network briefing by Wendy Murphy
HBnews - February 2012
The quarterly Housing Quality Network Housing Benefit newsletter, bringing you news, views and comment on current HB and other benefits issues
Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England
Network briefing by Janis Bright
HBnews - November 2011
The quarterly Housing Quality Network Housing Benefit newsletter, bringing you news, views and comment on current HB and other benefits issues
Housing Benefit and welfare reform: impact of the proposed changes on black and minority ethnic communities
Paper by the Race Equality Foundation and commissioned in association with The Housing Quality Network
21st Century Welfare
Network briefing by Charlie Hughes in association with the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit national indicator handbook for councils 2009/10
By Sue Beasor, HQN Associate
The DWP's Housing Benefit consultation: Supporting people into work: the next stage of Housing Benefit reform
Network briefing by Sue Beasor
News
Tackling fuel poverty
Basic energy efficiency measures have prevented up to 35,000 Scottish households from falling into fuel poverty over the past year
Local authority housing income and expenditure
The statistics provide information about housing debt, supervision and management costs, repairs and maintenance costs, direct spending on capital works and rental income
NEW WAY TO MEASURE FUEL POVERTY PROPOSED
A new way to measure fuel poverty in England is being proposed today by the Government following the independent review on this issue by Professor John Hills of the London School of Economics (LSE) published in March this year
Repossessions show no sign of slowing
Figures released today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders reveal the rate of repossessions in the UK remains high, four years after the recession began
Housing providers’ approaches to tackling worklessness
A report by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion for HACT
Grow your own: skills and infrastructure for local economic growth
NLGN’s report – Grow Your Own: Skills and Infrastructure for Local Economic Growth, kindly supported by BT and Kent Country Council – argues local government must seize a new role as social venture capitalists to unblock stalled developments and seed fund new jobs. NLGN urges councils to collaborate in setting up ‘Revolving Investment Funds
16 April 2012 – 'Abroad fraud' warning for benefit thieves
With summer approaching, Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, is sending a warning to people who commit benefit fraud abroad
12th April 2012 - Benefits Awareness Month
This month, Care & Repair Cymru are supporting the National Benefits Awareness Month to encourage older people in Wales to check their entitlement to welfare benefits, in case they are missing out on any additional support
CUTS RISK TRAPPING MORE PEOPLE IN HOMELESSNESS
Survey by Homeless Link of 500 homeless services shows rising demand, as cuts hit number of homeless people moving on to homes and jobs
Support to help lone parents into work
Lone parents will start getting the help they need to look for work earlier rather than stay on benefits, Work and Pensions Minister Maria Miller said
Welfare Reform Bill
A new Bill has been published to ensure that devolved policies such as the provision of free school meals and blue badge parking will continue to operate in Scotland after changes are made to the UK benefit system
Youth job priority areas
£9 million for local authorities to tackle youth unemployment Young people in six local authority areas will share £9 million to create employment and training opportunities in their areas
Grayling: Statistics show our benefit reforms are justified
More than one third of people going through incapacity benefits reassessment have been found to be fit for work, according to the first set of official statistics released today
Welfare reforms to hit poorer working women, pushing 250,000 children deeper into poverty
new research by Save the Children
Modelling the impact of Welfare Reform
Act now! HQN's welfare reform model will help you understand what the welfare reform proposals mean for your organisation
Welfare Reform Bill reaches conclusion
The Welfare Reform Bill is scheduled to receive Royal Assent and becomes law (an Act of Parliament) today (Thursday 8 March)
Help onto and up housing ladder
Up to 6,000 first-time buyers and others aspiring to purchase a new build home are set to receive a boost
Homeless to benefit from criminals’ cash
Homeless Scots in London are to benefit from money confiscated from crooks and fraudsters, the Scottish Government announced today
Illegal workers and benefit abusers targeted
New powers introduced today will make it harder for foreign nationals to work illegally and abuse the benefit system
The impact of welfare reform on housing
A Consortium of Associations in the South East (CASE) report
DWP report: housing benefit bulletin: January 2012
Housing and Council tax benefit general information bulletin
Benefits cap concessions expected to win support for welfare reform bill
Guardian article: government expected to agree to fund families who could be made homeless at sensitive time in children's education
Welfare Reform Bill: report stage day six
Latest update: Lords continue to scrutinise government proposals and make amendments
Government publishes overseas benefit claimant research
First detailed research tracking the country of origin of benefit claimants currently in the UK who were overseas nationals when the entered the country
Councils and housing associations to test direct payments of housing cost support
Demonstration projects will take place from June 2012 until June 2013 to test how claimants can manage housing benefit monthly payments ahead of the introduction of Universal Credit from October 2013
Localisation issues in welfare reform
Government response to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's report
DCLG consultation: social housing fraud
Comments sought by 4 April 2012 This consultation puts forward proposals that would help landlords reduce the prevalence of tenancy fraud within the social housing stock
Welsh Government consultation: options to replace the social fund community care grants and crisis loans for living expenses
Comments sought by 30 March 2012
New deal to help older people live at home for longer
£51 million towards Home Improvement Agencies, £20 million for Disabled Facilities Grants and £1.5 million funding for FirstStop
£200 million payment by results scheme to help troubled families
Run in conjunction with local authorities and organisations delivering the Work Programme, the new service is to help families with multiple problems overcome barriers to employment
Benefit expenditure tables: HB and CTB expenditure
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit expenditure by local authority district 1996/97 to 2009/10 in nominal terms
Scottish Government: housing voluntary grant scheme
29 housing projects across Scotland have been awarded grants totalling £2 million
Government under-occupancy plans defeated in Lords
Peers voted 258 votes to 190 in favour of amendment 12 to the Welfare Reform Bill
New powers for public to stop council tax rises this year
'Local tax lock' allows people a vote to stop council tax going up if their local authority refuses to freeze bills
DWP consultation: Support for mortgage interest
Responses sought by 27 February 2012
NIHE: single people face Housing Benefit changes next month
From 1 of January 2012 single people aged from 25 to 34 who rent from a private landlord will only be entitled to the Housing Benefit shared accommodation rate, irrespective of the size of accommodation actually rented
Social mobility business compact
Nick Clegg launches a Business Compact, asking businesses to do their bit
Care home residents to keep DLA/PIP mobility
When DLA is replaced with PIP in 2013, disabled people in residential care will continue to receive any mobility component of PIP they are entitled to
Affordable rent model: commons library standard note
An overview of the government’s affordable rent model and summary of key associated issues
15.3% of net current expenditure in 2010-11 on housing benefits
Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England 2010-11 final outturn
Local Authority Council Taxbase 2011 England
7.7 million dwellings were entitled to a discount as a result of being occupied by single adults. This represents 33% of all dwellings
Plans for a second year's council tax freeze set out
Councils that freeze or reduce their council tax next year will get a one off grant equivalent to raising their council tax by 2.5%
Incapacity claimants set to be slashed by one million
Research from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Centre
Benefit reform threat to social mobility in Wales
Concerns raised by First Minister Carwyn Jones
Iain Duncan Smith sets out next steps for moving claimants onto Universal Credit
Between October 2013 and April 2014, 500,000 new claimants will receive Universal Credit in place of Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
IFS report: Universal Credit not enough to prevent a decade of rising poverty
A new forecast of income poverty among children and working-age adults in the UK – funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Perceptions of welfare reform and Universal Credit
DWP report 778: Universal Credit was seen to demonstrate important progress, including the repositioning of work as an opportunity rather than a risk
Childcare support will be paid to around 80,000 more households
Government to invest additional £300 million into childcare support under Universal Credit, on top of the £2bn already spent under the current system
Council tax freeze
Extra £805 million to help freeze council tax bills for hardworking families
Northern Ireland Housing Executive: new LHA rates for October
The October LHA rates are now published. Local Housing Allowance is the rent assessment scheme for tenants who rent accommodation from private landlords
Social sector tenants will be responsible for paying landlords direct under Universal Credit
Six demonstration projects are being set up to trial direct payments to HB claimants
English language training for job seekers on benefits
Jobseekers whose lack of English is preventing them from getting a job, will be required to attend English language training or face losing their benefits
DCLG consultation: localising support for council tax in England: Consultation
Comments sought by 14 October 2011
£4m boost for innovative projects to support Housing Benefit reforms
Ten successful projects will get a share of a £4m fund to provide innovative support
Amended bill to make five-year tenancies the minimum fixed term
Reissued draft tenure direction states ‘registered providers grant general needs tenancies; these are for a minimum fixed term of five years’
Delay to Welfare Reform Bill
Originally due this week, the second reading (House of Lords) has been deferred until 13 September 2011
DWP report: worklessness co-design
DWP working together with local authorities, providers, employers and community groups can co-design solutions to worklessness
Housing Benefit cuts could lead to more people turning to loan sharks, says NHF
David Orr calls government plans on under-occupation penalty 'harsh and regressive'
