The government’s controversial bedroom tax has failed to ease under-occupancy in the social housing sector, its main aim, a report has revealed.
The 'Here and There: One year of the Bedroom Tax' report, composed by six housing associations, is the first to analyse a complete year’s data on the impact the under-occupancy policy has had on tenants.
Ministers’ attempts to slash fraud and error in the benefits system could be undermined because of uncertainty over how the housing element of universal credit will work, MPs have warned.
The work and pensions select committee said in a report today it was unclear how officials would be able to cross-check universal credit claims against other information to prevent benefit fraud and error.
The government has introduced rules meaning that long-term unemployed people will only receive benefits if they visit a job centre every day or take on six months of voluntary work.
Jobseekers that disobey the new rules will have their benefits stopped for four weeks for a first offence and 13 weeks for a second.
The Department for Work and Pensions has today published a new guide for local authorities and social landlords to help them understand arrangements for the payment of housing benefit under universal credit for people in temporary accommodation.
Q. Why has the Department for Work and Pensions decided to make payments of the housing element in Universal Credit directly to claimants in temporary accommodation?
Part-time workers judged to be doing too little to find full-time work face having their benefit for housing costs sanctioned by the government for the first time under universal credit.
Under the present system housing benefit is paid direct to landlords and sanctions can only be applied to out-of-work benefits, such as jobseeker’s allowance or employment support allowance.
A Labour MP's bill calling for the bedroom tax to be scrapped will get a second reading after successfully passing its first hurdle.
Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery (pictured) yesterday introduced a 10-minute bill on scrapping the controversial under-occupation penalty, which was backed by 226 votes to one.
The government's stuttering universal credit system is continuing to baffle tenants, new research has revealed.
Half of those who took part in the National Landlords Association's survey said that though they are aware that UC will replace the current benefits system, they don't fully understand what it means.
Universal credit remains largely misunderstood, according to a study conducted by online letting agent Makeurmove.co.uk.
The research reveals that one in three landlords are unaware of universal credit while 40% of landlords have heard of the new government scheme, but are unclear about the details. Just 27% of landlords say they fully understand universal credit.
ALMOST 800 jobseekers in Wigan signed up to the new Universal Credit in the first four months of the benefit being rolled out in the borough.
A total of 790 people completed the application process and began receiving the new benefit between July and October 2013, according to the first figures on Universal Credit released by the Departmentfor Work and Pensions (DWP).
More than half a billion pounds has been spent by London's boroughs on emergency housing since the general election, new figures have revealed.
Local authorities have spent more than £630 million since 2010 on placing people in temporary accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, after they presented themselves as being homeless.