DWP Secretary Of State Won’t Confirm An End To The Benefit Freeze

New DWP Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey has refused to confirm the four-year benefit freeze will end in April. Coffey told the Commons Work and Pensions Committee the DWP is in talks with the Treasury over 120 benefit rates. “Until I get the analysis which is due before the end of the month, then I won’t be in a position to say exactly what we’ll do on every single product line,” said Coffey. “I think there’s a general desire from the PM to see how we have that increased prosperity and how we then share the benefits of increased prosperity with everyone in society. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/new-dwp-secretary-of-state-wont-confirm-an-end-to-the-benefit-freeze/

Nine In 10 Homes Unaffordable For Families

The benefit freeze is pushing low income families to the brink, with more than nine in ten homes for private rent (94%) too expensive for those on housing benefit. And new NHF research reveals two thirds of these families (65%) are in work. Now, NHF is calling on the government to:

·         End the freeze and increase LHA payments so that they cover at least the bottom 30% of private rent homes in any local area

·         Commit to investing £12.8bn annually in building new social housing, so that fewer families have to depend on unaffordable and insecure privately rented accommodation

Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/housing-benefit-freeze-means-9-in-10-homes-unaffordable-for-families/

Council Benefit Payment Delays Affect Half Of Tenants

Half (52 per cent) of private sector tenants on housing benefit have experienced delays over its payment from their local council, according to new research from the National Landlords Association (NLA). The figures, which are thought to affect approximately 3.3 million tenants, also show that in over a third (36 per cent) of those cases, tenants say that the delays have caused them problems with, or prevented them from, paying their rent on time. The news follows reports from housing charity Shelter who predicts that 80% of working English households claiming housing support will face a benefits shortfall as a result of government plans to freeze housing benefit for four years – announced in July’s Budget.  Read more on the NLA website.

Hitlist of Welfare Cuts Facing Next Chancellor

A list of “very, highly or extremely controversial” potential cuts to benefits have been drawn up by civil servants in response to warnings that the next government would struggle to keep welfare spending below a legal cap of about £120bn a year. Options laid out include:

• employers to contribute more to the cost of statutory maternity pay – or abolish it entirely.

• Freezing benefit payments at current levels across the board.

• Limiting welfare payments by family size.

• Forcing single parents on income support to seek work when their youngest child reaches the age of three (currently five).

• Making it harder for sick people to claim state aid when they are out of work by introducing “stricter” fit-for-work tests and/or tighter limits on eligibility.

• Increasing the bedroom tax on certain categories of renters.

• Barring under-25s from claiming incapacity benefit or housing benefit.

Read more on the Guardian website.

Credit Agency Issues Warning Over Two Year Benefit Freeze

A major credit agency has warned that a proposed benefits freeze could lead to ‘downward pressure’ on rents and make it ‘increasingly difficult’ for housing associations to manage arrears. Standard and Poors (S&P) released its assessment of the major risks facing the sector yesterday, expressing limited concern about other areas of welfare reform. The credit agency- which provides ratings for 15 social landlords- warned that one of the biggest risks to the sector was providers diversifying into commercial activity they do not fully understand. Download the report from the S&P website.