2,000 Birmingham Households Moved To B&Bs Up To 100 Miles Away

Almost 2,000 Birmingham households have been moved by the council up to 100 miles away in the last five years as a result of the chronic shortage of social housing. Birmingham City Council says vulnerable families and individuals made homeless in the city are having to live in temporary accommodation - almost always in ‘bed and breakfasts’ - in cities as far away as Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester. The data underlines how councils are struggling to cope with long waiting lists for social housing, and that the practice of placing people in temporary accommodation outside of their home area has now stretched beyond London. Read more on the Huffington Post website.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/birmingham-temporary-accommodation_uk_5af3269be4b0a0d601e94325

One in Ten Green Deal Companies 'Struck Off' For Breaking the Rules

More than a tenth of companies implementing the Government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme have been banned after breaking its code of practice, ministers have admitted, raising fears thousands of homeowners may be being ripped off by dodgy tradesmen.  New figures reveal that more than 350 of the companies registered to carry out Green Deal assessments or installation work for the scheme have had to be stripped of their certification after breaking its code of practice, which is designed to ensure they are properly qualified and deal with complaints correctly. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Bedroom Tax Refund for 267 Nottingham Households

More than £170,000 is to be handed back to 267 households in Nottingham after a loophole in housing benefit changes introduced last April. The so-called "bedroom tax" means people who are deemed to under-occupy their homes by one bedroom losing 14 per cent of their housing benefit. For two bedrooms, this rises to 25 per cent. The Government says the benefit changes are necessary to deal with the country's finances and around 5,500 people in the city were affected. However, a loophole in the legislation meant those who have been receiving housing benefit continuously since 1996 should not have been liable for the under-occupancy charge. This money will now be refunded. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Homelessness in England Reaches Five-Year High

Government figures show that the number of homeless households in England has risen by 6% over the past year, to the highest in five years. The figures also show a 14% rise in the number of people living in B&Bs. B&B-style accommodation often means a single room for an entire family with no cooking facilities and a shared bathroom, sometimes miles away from their jobs and support networks. Though there is a legal requirement limiting this to six weeks for families, many have to stay in this situation for weeks, or even months. Shelter is also worried that today’s figures mask a further group of ‘hidden homeless’; families who have lost their home but may not be counted in official statistics due to recent changes in the way councils handle homelessness applications  Read more on the Shelter website.

Benefit Cap to Hit Fewer Households Than Expected

The number of households that will be affected by a new £500 a week benefit cap has fallen by over a quarter, the Department for Work and Pensions says.

The government initially estimated that 56,000 households would see their benefits reduced by the policy, losing on average around £93 per week. It now expects 40,000 households to be affected. The department said the change came as more people sought help to get into work. The policy was expected to save £275m a year when the original figure was announced. It now expects to save £110m.  Read more on the BBC website.