Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords who will amend their allocation procedures in 2011-12 in order to enable tenants to downsize to avoid housing benefits reductions for under-occupation of their home.
Grant Shapps: Local authorities and social landlords should already be helping social tenants who wish to move to smaller properties, and many do so. Provisions in the Localism Bill will make it easier for local authorities to give priority to existing tenants wishing to move. We have also established an action team based in the Chartered Institute of Housing to support local authorities and housing associations to promote moves by under-occupiers, and this will include ensuring their allocation policies are aligned with this objective.