'CLG Declined FOI Requests on Impact of Affordable Rent'

Three Government departments, including CLG, have turned down Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) for data on the impact of Affordable Rent on housing benefit, the research organisation has claimed. From 2013, housing benefit will be absorbed into a Universal Credit, which will replace the welter of means-tested benefits - including housing benefit - with a 'single universal credit'. BSHF says it has made requests to CLG, the DWP and HM Treasury for modelling they had undertaken on the impact of Affordable Rent on Housing Benefit expenditure. It said the departments declined to provide this information, as the policy was still under development. This decision was appealed by BSHF on the grounds that the information was relevant to the DCLG consultation on Social Housing - Local Decisions: A fairer future of social housing, which ends today. BSHF is concerned the policy will increase the dependency on housing benefit. Read more on 24dash.