Up To 11,000 Affected By Under-21 Benefit Cap By 2021

Around 1,000 young people will be affected by the cut to housing benefit for under-21s this year, rising to 11,000 by 2020/21. This is the official estimate in the government’s equality analysis of the decision to cut the housing benefit element of Universal Credit for 18 to 21-year-olds, released to Inside Housing today under the Freedom of Information Act. It said: “Due to the various exemptions specified for this, policy analysis suggests that the caseload affected will be relatively small, in the region of 1,000 in 2017/18, growing to 11,000 by 2020/21.” Charities had previously estimated 9,000 young people could be put at risk of homelessness by the policy. Read more on Inside Housing.

Universal Credit – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place a copy of any unpublished impact assessment on the Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element for claimants aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 in the Library.

Caroline Nokes: There is no requirement to complete an Impact Assessment in respect of these regulations because they have no direct impact on business, charities or voluntary organisations.An Equality Impact Assessment was completed to enable me to ensure compliance with my Public Sector Equality Duty. There is no requirement for this assessment to be published and I have no plans to do so.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people above pensionable age and living in general needs accommodation who will be deemed to be under-occupying their home and will have their housing benefit reduced in accordance with their household size as opposed to their property size as a result of the cap on housing benefit for social housing tenants to the Local Housing Allowance Rate; and what the average loss incurred by this group of people will be.

Caroline Nokes: This measure will be introduced in April 2018, where new tenancies have been taken out or existing tenancies renewed from 1 April 2016 (or 1 April 2017 for supported housing). Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.

IDS Doubts 'Bedroom Tax' Disability Figures

Iain Duncan Smith has cast doubt on statistics showing two-thirds of people hit by the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ are disabled, saying they are based on tenants’ “self-declaration”.  The Work and Pensions Secretary said there is no “check” on the figures which appear to show almost two-in-three council houses affected by the policy are occupied by someone with a disability. The two-in-three figure is drawn from a DWP equality impact assessment on the policy, which has been cited by the Labour Party and campaigners as evidence that the policy is hitting disabled people the hardest. Some 63 per cent of those affected have a disability, the study suggests, compared with 66 per cent of all social housing benefit claimants. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Legal Bid Fails to Stop Housing Benefit Reforms

The High Court has dismissed a claim for a judicial review of the government’s decision to limit housing benefit payments for tenants in the private rented sector.  Charity Zacchaeus 2000 Trust argued the government acted outside the law in the way it implemented the change, and that work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith failed to comply with legislation on equality.  But Justice Underwood ruled the government did have the power to introduce the changes to the way local housing allowance payments are calculated, and was not in breach of section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. He criticised the form of the department’s equality impact assessment, but said the problems did not go far enough to constitute a ‘legal flaw’.  Read more on Inside Housing.

Existing Claimants Protected Under Universal Credit

The Department for Work and Pensions has insisted no households currently claiming benefit will lose out under universal credit.  An impact assessment shows around 800,000 more households than previously expected will have lower ‘notional’ benefit entitlements under universal credit.  The assessment shows 2.8 million households will have lower entitlements under the policy, compared to the 2 million quoted in an equality impact assessment in October last year.  However, the DWP said the assessment does not take into account ‘transitional protection’ – money used to top up incomes to prevent current claimants moving to the new system from losing out.  Download a copy of the Impact Assessment from the DWP website.

Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer (HoL)

Lord Ouseley To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an equality impact assessment has been made of the cap on housing benefit and what the implications are for race relations and social cohesion when families are moved from established residential neighbourhoods to other parts of the country.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): An equality impact assessment for the changes to local housing allowance arrangements, including the caps to rates, was published in July 2010. Taking all the measures together, this did not show a disproportionate impact on any one group. The department has commissioned an independent consortium of leading research organisations to evaluate the effects of the local housing allowance changes. The report of early findings is expected to be published in June.

Charity Loses Legal Challenge to Housing Benefit Cuts

A charity has lost a legal challenge it brought against the Government over housing benefit cuts. The judicial review - brought by Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) - challenged two changes to the housing benefit rules for tenants in the private rented sector, which came in this April. It challenged the decision to cap Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates and the cut in the number of bedrooms that can be covered by housing benefit to four. CPAG lawyers argued that the cuts challenged the fundamental purpose of the national housing benefit scheme - which is to prevent homelessness. It also argued that the cuts failed to have due regard to equality legislation because ethnic minorities and lone parents will be disproportionately hit by the two cuts being challenged. Evidence was produced to show that around 9,000 London households will have to leave their homes as a result of the caps, and that about 4,600 will be unable to find anywhere else to live “locally”. CPAG argued that this could mean upwards of 20,000 children having to move, 14,000 out of their local area, resulting in disruption to education, health and social services. Mr Justice Supperstone dismissed CPAG’s claim. He agreed with the Government that the purpose of the housing benefit scheme is not to prevent homelessness, but to help claimants with their rent whilst also protecting the public purse. He has also held that there is nothing in the statutory scheme to prevent the government from setting an overall cap in this way. By preparing an Equality Impact Assessment he held that the government had “due regard” to the need to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination but that they were entitled to make the changes despite their disproportionate impact.

Housing Benefit: Disability – Parliamentary Written Answer

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled tenants in social housing which his Department's Equality Impact Assessment estimates will be affected by his proposed changes to eligibility for housing benefit in cases of under occupation are estimated to be in receipt of disability living allowance.
Steve Webb: Using the Department's Policy Simulation Model, we estimate that around 200,000 households are likely to be affected by the introduction of the size criteria in the social rented sector in 2013-14 where either the claimant or their partner are in receipt of disability living allowance. However, there are certain households included within the 200,000 which may not be affected by the size criteria changes. These are households where the claimant is either entitled to an additional bedroom for a non-resident carer providing overnight care, or is living in certain types of supported accommodation. For other households, local authorities can consider a discretionary housing payment based on the tenant's individual circumstances.

Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single people aged between 25 and 34 are claiming the one bedroom local housing allowance rate in each (a) local authority area and (b) broad rental market area.
Steve Webb: The Department published the 'Two Year Review of the Local Housing Allowance' in February 2011, which includes the current caseload proportions claiming the one bedroom local housing allowance rate, in figure 2.11. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library. The Department plans to publish an Equality Impact Assessment for the shared accommodation rate changes within the next two months, to accompany the draft regulations. This will contain estimates of the numbers of single housing benefit claimants between the ages of 25 and 34 who will be affected by these changes.

Homes and Communities Agency – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an equality impact assessment was undertaken in respect of the new investment framework for the Homes and Communities Agency.
Grant Shapps: The Department will shortly be publishing an equality impact assessment for affordable rent, the principle element within the Affordable Homes Programme Framework published by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Homes and Communities Agency on 14 February 2011.