Housing ‘Shake-Up’ Could Save £3bn On The Welfare Budget

A housing shake-up that could knock £3bn off the welfare budget rewards housing associations that turn tenant lives around. Citing social housing tenants as “four times more likely” to be unemployed than private renters, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is calling on associations to extend skills training – with big falls in rent arrears as an incentive. The Government is already giving the idea serious consideration given its potential to save some £3bn on the welfare budget. CSJ says that with housing associations, with their “established personal relationships” with tenants – are best placed to support individuals facing barriers to work, the report argues. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/housing-shake-up-could-save-3bn-on-the-welfare-budget/

Duncan Smith in Cabinet Row over £12bn Welfare Cuts

Iain Duncan Smith is “pushing back” against attempts to “salami slice” through the welfare budget to deliver the prime minister’s pledge of £12bn in savings, allies of the work and pensions secretary have claimed. Duncan Smith was surprised when the sheer scale of the cuts was announced in January last year, and is now fighting a rearguard action against changes that would involve slashing at key benefit schemes in his budget. It is understood the cabinet minister has long been frustrated by a failure within the leadership of the party to get to grips with how the reduction in spending will be made. He fears that such lethargy could ultimately lead to rushed and deeply unpopular cuts. Read more on the Observer website.