The Bedroom Tax is clearly focusing the minds of Social Landlord staff, throughout the UK as more stories emerge of appeal successes at tribunals and there’s mounting evidence of council housing benefit sections using Discretionary Housing Payments to disuade association tenants from pursuing their grievances to the Tribunal Service. A…

A briefing note designed for frontline staff who will be required to offer advice & support to tenants as UC is rolled out nationally.

Click here to read the briefing note.

Hi, As we fast approach October 2013 and Universal Credit delivery is extended to another 6 Pathfinder sites, more and more associations are contacting us seeking to organise training for their frontline troops. Whilst that’s perfectly understandable, given all the DWP and Ministerial hype, about the “national roll-out”, I would…

“The champagne corks were flying yesterday in Whitehall as Ian Duncan Smith announced that the Benefit Cap has been successfully delivered in the 4 London Boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Bromley and Croydon. In total, just over 2,400 households were capped by having their Housing Benefit reduced.

Bill extrapolated the key…

Good morning, As I’m sure you’re already aware, Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced on Thursday, the DWP’s plans for the next stages in the Universal Credit roll-out. You can read the full transcript here. a)      The Government’s priority has been to deliver Universal…

Earlier today I advised you that the Judicial Review attempt had failed. You’ll find the full judgement at:

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2013/2213.html

Below you’ll find evidence of the court’s displeasure with our Secretary of State for not creating secondary legislation in relation to the earlier Gorry, Burnip Judgement and relying…

Judicial Review Appeal fails!

The BBC and Guardian have just announced that the Judicial Review (JR) attempt, pursued by a number of disabled families, has been unsuccessful. The JR involved ten families who wished to challenge the loss in their housing benefit due to the imposition of “Bedroom Tax” sanctions.

…

The Work and Pensions Committee has just announced it intends to undertake an Inquiry into the provision of support to meet housing costs in the reformed welfare system.

Recently the Committee published a report in November 2012 on Universal Credit implementation: meeting the needs of vulnerable claimants. The…

Almost every day you’ll find newspaper articles covering protests against: under-occupation penalties; threats of repossession action by councils and RSLs for rent arrears; combined with complaints about new Council Tax charges arising from the less generous Council Tax Reduction scheme which started in April.
In Sheffield anti-Bedroom Tax protestors gathered…

Earlier this week, the DWP issued its latest circular A14/2013 providing councils with some advice on how the Ashton-under-Lynne Pathfinder will prepare the way for the national roll-out of Universal Credit. The circular is really quite technical, as a whole, so I’ve decided not to attach it nor depress you. But…