Information Library

Good afternoon Inside Housing reported the other day comments made by Marcus Jones, Minister at DCLG, suggesting we won’t have much longer to wait to discover the Government’s final blue-print in relation to Supported Accommodation funding. Apparently, he was speaking at a debate, focused on the Government’s original proposals to…

Good morning DWP has just recently circulated Circular HB A8-2017 to all Local authorities administering Housing Benefits. The purpose of the circular is to explain, to all Housing Benefit “Decision Makers”, that any emergency funds, paid to the victims (and dependants) of the recent terrorist attacks in London & Manchester should…

Good morning Neil Couling, Director General, Universal Credit Programme, wrote to Local Authority Chief Executives, last week, to confirm the Universal Credit “Full Service” (UCFS) rollout will expand to 134 Jobcentre areas, between October and December 2017 (Important – read here). This will, in effect; double the areas affected; the…

Good afternoon Landlords, social & private, are often left out of pocket when councils, completely out of the blue, decide to redirect Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance to tenants, even though, sometime in the recent past, it had concluded the award should be made direct to the landlord to prevent rent…

Good morning The House of Commons research team has just published a very informative briefing paper, focused on the government’s proposals to cap the “eligible rents” in both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (UC) to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates from April 2019. You can read more, here. You may…

Good morning DWP hierarchy have just issued an updated version of its “Universal Credit – Guidance for Landlords” which you’ll find in the following link http://www.parliament.uk/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/commons/2017-07-10/3962 Much of the information has already been circulated in earlier editions, however, I’ve identified below, some links, with new information, which should be of…

Hi By October 2018, Universal Credit’s “Full” or “Digital” service will be operating throughout Great Britain. At the moment, only a few dozen areas have the full-blown version, which we all hoped would improve on the “limited” service it eventually will replace. Sadly, experience to date suggests the very opposite…

Dear Colleague By October 2018, Universal Credit’s “Full” or “Digital” service will be operating throughout Great Britain. Currently, only a few dozen areas have the full-blown version. Sadly, experience to date suggests the digital version is not yet fit for purpose, but the rollout continues and is gathering pace. Landlords…

Good morning The Scottish Government and CIH Scotland have just published a brief report focused on the very real threat posed by central government’s proposals to cap Housing Benefit and/or the “housing element” of Universal Credit to LHA rates from April 2019. Amongst other things, it suggests 21,000 young Scots…

Good morning The Scottish Government just yesterday announced how its variations to the national UC payment arrangements would operate. The new arrangement, which affect both social & private tenants, became effective from 4th October 2017; can immediately affect “NEW” claims, but only where the claimant lives in an area where…