Anti-Homelessness Helpline Now Receiving Call For Help Every 30 Seconds

A helpline run by an anti-homelessness charity now receives one call asking for help every 30 seconds, new figures reveal. Shelter’s advice line has seen the volume of calls rise by 50,000 in the past 12 months, with one in four cases taken on by the line from people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home within 28 days.  A report by a cross-party group of MPs warned that the number of rough sleepers in England had risen by 30 per cent to 3,569 between 2014 and 2015. They blamed in part changes to housing benefits payments. Other factors, such as a trend away from social housing and towards private renting, have been blamed for the increase in homelessness and rough sleeping in recent years. Read more on the Independent website.

Welfare Report from Thatcherite Think-Tank Blasted As 'Spin' By TUC

A report claiming over half of UK households get more in benefits than they pay in taxes is “extremely misleading” as it includes pensioners, according to the TUC. The latest Economic Bulletin from the Thatcherite think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) claims 51.5 per cent of households receive more from the state than they pay in tax. The report comes just over a week before Chancellor George Osborne unveils his latest Budget, in which details of a further £12billion of welfare cuts will be announced. Read more on the Huffington Post website.

Inactive Residents Could Have Benefits Docked

Councils could dock benefit payments if residents do not exercise enough in a bid to improve public health, a report has suggested.  Local authorities could monitor people’s use of leisure facilities with smart cards, and housing and council tax benefit could be varied to reward or incentivise residents accordingly.  This is the suggestion in a report from Westminster Council and think tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), A dose of localism: the role of council in public health, which argues councils should incorporate improving public health into existing services.  It also says housing departments should use public space to alleviate health and social issues caused by overcrowding.  Download a copy of the report from the LGIU website.