Recent News
Cyberfraud and identity theft pose the most serious threat to the implementation of the government's welfare reforms, a government minister said as he outlined potential problems facing the project during the final months of development.
Lord Freud, parliamentary under-secretary of state for welfare reform, said online security was a risk to the introduction of the universal credit. The department was focusing on identity and potential cyberfraud to make sure the system was "utterly robust". Security systems developed by banks were being adopted, and the government was in talks with Amazon to learn from its online security measures, he said.
Welfare reform minister Lord Freud says benefit claimants used to being paid fortnightly will be able to opt in for an advance payment to bridge them on to the monthly system of Universal Credit.
Universal Credit will be rolled out over four years from October 2013 and will see claimants receive a single monthly payment in arrears in replace of six income-related benefits, including housing benefit, tax credits etc.
Families should be able to ‘opt in’ to an online budgeting tool under the new Universal Credit, which allows them to determine the direction and frequency of benefit payments, according to a think tank.
The Social Market Foundation (SMF) report 'Sink or Swim' warns Universal Credit is at risk of “backfiring” and shows that the changes - including monthly payments and housing benefit paid to claimants in the social rented sector from next October - will leave many households struggling to cope.
The Government should create a set of standards for ‘Budget Accounts’ (jam jars) – which safeguard rental income for housing associations – allowing financial providers to deliver them for tenants in return for initial subsidies.
That’s the conclusion of an in-depth report, commissioned by the National Housing Federation (NHF), into the banking products needed by social housing tenants for Universal Credit.
The government's flagship welfare reform programme is heading for "disaster", its "poverty czar" Frank Field has warned.
Writing in The Guardian, the Labour MP says Universal Credit will not simplify benefits as planned and will instead "rot the soul" of the low paid.
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith says the Government will explore a 'social housing broadband tariff' to enable those to claim the new Universal Credit online.
From next October, Universal Credit will replace six income-related benefits, including housing benefit, which claimants will apply online for and receive as a single monthly payment.
A new property web portal will connect letting agents with people claiming housing benefit and who are looking for private rental accommodation.
Dssmove is a free UK-wide online service where DSS tenants can search, review and apply for a new home.
Iain Duncan Smith is fighting to stop the Chancellor shelving his universal credit scheme.
George Osborne reportedly wants to block the Work and Pension’s Secretary’s £2billion flagship reform amid growing concerns about its escalating cost.
Charity Homeless Link is concerned that welfare reform could be driving an increase in homelessness - as new figures show an alarming rise in cases of people losing their homes.
The charity was responding to government statistics that show 12,860 people were accepted as homeless in 2012's second quarter - a 9% rise on the same period in 2011.
London has seen a 27% rise in people accepted as homeless, with the problem far worse in the capital than in the rest of the country, according to homelessness charity Crisis.
One in four people declared homeless in England in 2012's second quarter were in London. Rough sleeping is also on the increase, with a massive 43% rise in 2011/12 over the previous 12 months.
A north London council is opening credit union accounts for all new tenants as part of a move to minimise the impact of welfare reform.
Catherine West, Labour leader of Islington Council, speaking before a Department of Work and Pensions select committee this morning, said: ‘Every time we sign up a new tenant in council housing we give them a credit union account even though they may not know what it is at the time.
Business minister Mark Prisk, MP for Hertford and Stortford, has been appointed the new housing minister following Grant Shapps' promotion to the cabinet as Tory co-chair.
Mr Prisk - a chartered surveyor by profession - is currently a minister for Business and Enterprise in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) - a position he has held since 2010.
A National Landlords Association survey of its members has found 63 per cent are aware of the green deal, and 56 per cent are thinking of using the scheme.
Under the green deal, which launches next month, landlords and homeowners will be able to get work done to improve the energy efficiency of their home without paying up front. They will then pay back the cost of the work, with interest, using the money saved from fuel bills.
A new property web portal where housing benefit claimants and landlords can liaise is now live.
Dssmove will perform the same function for social tenants that sites such as Zoopla do for private tenants.
Most of us will rent at one time or another. For those tenants in receipt of housing benefits, renting a property is a long-term commitment, so there are various factors that can make or break enjoyment of a property.
Tenants face many potential pitfalls when it comes to finding the right property. It's important to go through all the elements with a fine tooth comb to make sure you're clear where the responsibilities lie.
Social housing can learn from the private rented sector to prepare for the government's new welfare reforms.
For the last 12 months, I have been travelling the country and meeting large and small social and private landlords to see what preparations they are making for Universal Credit.
