Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Welfare Reform Sam Lister, Policy & Practice Officer, CIH

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 2 The bedroom tax (April 2013) Household benefits cap (April 2013) Universal Credit – working age tenants payment to tenant along with other out of work elements (October 2013) Pension Credit (October 2014) Review of support charges and exempt accommodation (post UC?) Timetable

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 3 Budget Red Book & Spending Review Policy Costings 2014/15* (£ million) Social sector size limits 490 Non dependent deductions 340 Household benefits cap 270 Local housing allowance (PRS) 1645 Other housing cost support (SMI) 130 Discretionary housing payments -40 Additional room for carers -15 Total annual saving (steady state) 2820 Other welfare benefits 7500 Housing support welfare cuts

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 4 Welfare benefits: old & new

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 5 Rent shortfalls from housing costs cuts Shrinking pocket from which to make up loss Changes in the way benefits are paid without support to manage money Vulnerability support is temporary Landlords: rising costs and lower collection rates Available options for housing homeless and vulnerable shrinking (PRS & temporary housing) Increased housing stress and rising demand Cuts to advice services (CLS) Summary

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Private rented sector

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 7 Changes already made 51,920 claimants (88%) losing average £8.00 per week as result of move to 30 th percentile 3,490 affected by shared accommodation rate lose an average of £24 per week (about 15% of 1 bed caseload) 310 lose as a result of the 4 bedroom limit around £40 per week Overall benefits cap on top from April 2013 Private rented sector

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 8 LHA limits Leicestershire 2012 Property typeLowHigh Shared£55.00£68.00 One bedroom£72.69£91.15 Two bedrooms£96.92£ Three bedrooms£109.62£ Four bedrooms£150.00£183.46

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Temporary housing

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 10 Existing HB rules continue  Subsidy limit based on 90% of January 2011 LHA rate for the property (not household size)  HB award subject to household cap Under universal credit  Housing costs element based on appropriate LHA rate for family size paid part of claimants UC award  Management element (£60) will be separated out and paid direct to the authority Temporary housing

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Supported housing

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 12 Supported housing that is ‘exempt accommodation’ will be ‘outside’ universal credit Any accommodation where ‘care, support or supervision is provided  Funding stream irrelevant  Individual rather than property based test Temporary measure? Supported housing

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 13 Unclear what ‘outside UC’ means  Retain other out of work benefits?  Housing costs only?  All of the rent or just the additional cost? Costs will become increasingly transparent  Don’t hasten further reform Localised system? – may be better to be inside UC  Social security is demand led  Partial – similar to temporary housing? What does this mean?

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 14 Eligible housing costs: the law Rent is eligible - ordinary landlord overheads (insurance, maintenance, voids) Not eligible: ‘general counselling or any other support services’ (any kind of advice and support that helps the tenant maintain their tenancy) Eligible: services which tend to preserve the ‘fabric of the dwelling’ provided they are not in respect of services that are ineligible If it is support – it does not somehow become eligible if it is re- classified as ‘intensive housing management’

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 15 Eligible Assistance for tenants in arranging for plumbers Assistance for tenants in ensuring security of dwelling (e.g. reminding them lock up) Controlling access and other concierge type services Minor repairs (e.g. changing light bulbs, unblocking sinks) Ineligible Assistance with budgeting /debt counselling Assistance claiming benefits Resettlement activities teaching life-skills Liaison with relatives Dealing with neighbour disputes (ASB services generally) Reminding tenant to take medication Eligible and ineligible

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | April 2013 changes

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 17 Social sector size criteria Household benefits cap (all tenures) April 2013

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 18 Deductions for under-occupation  1 bedroom (14% of eligible rent)  2 or more bedrooms (25% of eligible rent) Exempt  State pension credit age (61 by 5 October 2012)  Shared ownership  Those in sheltered or supported housing who receive support services provided by the landlord (exempt accommodation) Grace periods  13 weeks previously afford the rent (no claim in last year)  52 weeks if recently bereaved Social sector size criteria

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 19 One room for tenant and partner One room for each other person aged 16+ A child aged 15 or under will be expected to share with one other child aged 15 or under of the same gender A child aged 9 or share with one other child aged 9 or under regardless of gender One room for any one else (i.e. unpaired) One room if the tenant and/or partner needs an overnight carer (maybe minor modification to include disabled children) No definition of what constitutes a bedroom (large or small) Calculating size

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 20 Parents with shared access (child benefit wins) Foster parents (foster children do not count) Couples using additional bedroom whilst recovering from illness Disabled and adapted properties Unable to move – or move delayed whilst waiting for property to become available So it affects…

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 21 Household cap

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 22 Pension age Working tax credit Disability living allowance (or PIP) Support component of ESA Industrial injuries disablement benefit 39 weeks grace if lose job and had been work for 50 of the previous 52 weeks Exemptions

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 23 Couples  Three child families where rent is £160 or more  Four child families where rent is £100 or more  Five+ child families rent is £46 or more Lone parents  Four child families where rent is £152 or more  Five child families where rent is £87 or more Who does it affect?

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 24 DWP targets Local authorityDWP letters Blaby 20 Charnwood 40 Harborough 20 Hinckley and Bosworth 30 Leicester 440 Melton 10 North West Leicestershire 30 Oadby and Wigston 10

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Universal credit

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 26 Combined assessment award and payment (housing costs)  Surrogate wage Better off in work Individual responsibility  To make a claim and report changes  Presumption of payment to claimant Automated system  On-line claims or national call centre  Loss of local one to one advice Key features

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 27 Couple, two children, rent £80, council tax £25 Total income with council tax

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 28 DWP taking on  4.8 million housing costs cases  2.0 million in-work claims Total UC caseload around 8.0 million Total PC caseload round 2.1 million Scale of change

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 29 Claim on-line or to call centre Payment calendar monthly in arrears to claimant  Bank account  Budgeting advice and/or subsidised banking product Payment exceptions will be broadly based on the LHA payment rules with some modifications (probably broader) Assumption will be that payment exceptions are a temporary position Claims and payment

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 30 Increase in demand Shrinking supply – Community Legal Service funding for welfare benefits advice withdrawn from April 2013 Advice: supply and demand

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | Summary and conclusions

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 32 Tenants rent shortfalls to be paid for…. from shrinking benefits… paid in arrears…. without assistance and advice to help budget Landlords work harder to collect… a reduced income….. with increased costs Conclusions

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 33 Local authorities Rising demand for services (advice, support, housing) Reduced housing options (private rented sector) Reduced direct and indirect funding to authorities and partner agencies (e.g. CLS) Conclusions

Learn with us. Improve with us. Influence with us | 34 CIH Welfare Reform Service Practical expertise on policy and best practice to help housing organisations cope with upcoming welfare reforms. Services include: income health checks and service reviews; in-house training on welfare reform and the impacts; facilitation of strategic partnerships with commercial and charitable organisations; and providing executive and team briefings on the subject of welfare reform. For the very latest policy news Get the latest news & advice on welfare