Green Homes Grants Cost £1,000 In Admin For Each Household That Benefited

A scheme to make homes cosier and greener racked up administration costs of £1,000 for each household that benefited, the Whitehall spending watchdog said. The flagship green homes grant scheme was rushed, caused frustration for homeowners and installers and had lower benefits in cutting carbon and creating jobs than it could have done, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The programme was launched in September 2020 as a six-month “green” pandemic recovery measure, and closed in March 2021 having been extended and then curtailed again in the face of problems with its delivery. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-07/green-homes-grants-cost-1000-in-admin-for-each-household-that-benefited--nao

Ministers Consider Pay To Stay Exemption

The CLG will consider exempting council tenants from Pay to Stay in areas where social rents and market rents are similar. Civil servants from CLG have drawn up draft regulations for ministers which include an exemption in areas where the difference between market rent and social rent is very small. Under the latest regulations, councils would compare the market and social rents in the area, deduct an administrative cost per tenant which is likely to be set by the government, and if the difference between the rents is small then a council could receive an exemption. Read more on Inside Housing.

£1m Admin Cost Estimate On First Year Of Pay To Stay

A London borough estimates that Pay to Stay could cost it £1 million in first year administration costs alone to make IT and other system and process changes happen.  The borough of Camden has put a £1 million price on the bureaucracy that Pay to Stay will generate.  Camden concedes to “little detailed information” about how many households are likely to be affected by Pay to Stay, but estimates indicate that as many as 13% of tenants may be affected - against the government’s national estimate of 7.4%. Read more on 24dash.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing (2) - Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial information is sent to his Department from individual local authorities on the administrative costs incurred in the preparation for, and the processing of, the under-occupancy penalty; and if he will make a statement. 

Esther McVey: The Department has provided funding to each local authority to meet the additional costs resulting from our reforms to Housing Benefit. Local Authority Associations were fully consulted when determining these new costs. The Department does not collect details of expenditure on Housing Benefit administration from individual local authorities.

Councils Warn Of Impact of Letting Agent Rip-Offs and Rogue Landlords

Extortionate fees charged by some letting agents are exacerbating the housing crisis, local government leaders are warning.  Some letting agents have been found to be charging non-refundable admin fees in excess of £500, according to recent research.  Councils are warning that as well as being unfair on the increasing number of people who rent, letting agent fees in some areas are so high that they could be acting as a barrier to people being able to find a house or flat in the private rented sector, particularly for younger people on low incomes. Some local authorities have set up their own letting agencies to ensure tenants get a fair deal.  Read more on the Local Government Association website.