Welfare reform hits Welsh tenants the hardest
- 09 Jan
A report has published that Welsh social landlord's tenants are being hit hard by welfare reform, seemingly unreasonably and excessively.
In Wales, 20.4% of tenants in social housing have been affected by the bedroom tax in comparison to England (15.3%) and Scotland (19%), according to research published by the Welsh Audit Office (WAO), reports Inside Housing.
An increase in poverty, debt and exclusion was also found by the WAO which links to the introduction of welfare reform measures.
The report also conveys its doubt about the Department for Work and Pensions' estimate of £490m in savings across the UK in 2013-14, by stating ‘the true savings cannot be forecast accurately'.
In the last year, only 14% of tenants that were affected by the bedroom tax in Wales moved home with rent debts of social tenants increasing by £5.3m and the number of tenants in debts rising by 23.3% in the first six months of 2013/14.
The WAO calls on social landlords to improve engagement and relations with tenants affected by the bedroom tax. They referred to the councils' strategies to support their tenants in coping ‘inconsistent' and stated that landlords lack ‘comprehensive' plans.
68% of tenants who were surveyed stated that they had not received any support from their social landlord to address the effect of welfare reform. This issue was made worse as 39% of tenants said that they do not have access to a PC.
36% of the councils and housing associations surveyed reported an increase in the cost of managing debts, 38% stated there was a slight increase in management costs and 26% reported no change at all.
The report states: ‘Social landlords are not converting their properties to create smaller homes to address the increased demand arising from the removal of the spare-room subsidy'.
What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions
Related articles
- 08 Nov
NHS BOSS SETS OUT A CASE FOR CASH BOOST
The speech by Mr Stevens at the NHS Providers' annual conference of health managers is being made at the time when three reputable health think-thanks- the Health Foundation, the King's Fund and the...
- 09 Jun
THERESA MAY PLEDGES TO REPLACE THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1983
According to Ms May, the new bill would introduce the following:According to the Tories, the proposals were described as the biggest change to mental health treatment law in over 30 years.Ms May...
- 30 May
THE PRESENT FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF SCOTLAND IS TO PLEDGE AGAINST ANY PLANS TO PRIVATISE THE NHS
It is also expected that Sturgeon will do the following as proof of her party's commitment to fighting against further austerity:Sturgeon said this before Tuesday's manifesto launch:"While the polls...
- 17 Mar
402 MILLION POUNDS WILL BE INVESTED IN COUNCILS WITH THE GREATEST HOMELESSNESS DEMAND FROM APRIL 2017
Presently, funding is only used for homeless households and not for the prevention of homelessness in the first instance.The funding by the Department for Communities and Local Government is set to...
- 15 Mar
RULES AROUND PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE PAYMENTS MAY CHANGE ON THURSDAY
Ministers have advised chief executives of over 30 charities which claimed that people will be left without vital financial support, to restrict access to a disability benefit.The Disability Benefits...
- 06 Mar
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN URGED BY THE BMA TO INCREASE HEALTH SPENDING BY 10 BILLION POUNDS
This increase in health spending to a proportion of GDP that matched that of the 10 leading economies across Europe could pay for at least 35,000 extra beds a day and many more GP's, according to the...
- 05 Sep
MANY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REFUGES AT RISK OF CLOSING DUE TO HOUSING BENEFIT CAP
Women who have been victims of domestic violence as well as their children are at risk of falling into the hands of their violent partners if the government caps housing benefit in the social sector...
- 03 Sep
Data on disability benefits refused by DWP
DWP officials have refused a second request for basic information on disability benefits using the “Section 22” exemption they used previously, reports The Independent.The Department had been...
- 02 Sep
UN to investigate how welfare reforms will affect disability rights
A disability charity in Scotland has said it’s been contacted by the UN’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of an inquiry into Britain’s treatment of people with...
- 01 Sep
Benefit cuts affecting 48,500 families in Liverpool
Analysis from Liverpool City Council has found that around 48,500 households are likely to lose their benefits due to new government reforms, reports the Liverpool Echo. Councillor Jane Corbett has...
Revenue Optimisation "We really appreciate the work that Support Solutions did for Home Group in securing significant additional revenue for our supported housing schemes. This really will make a positive difference to the way in which we support our vulnerable tenants". Dave Coope - Home Group
