A survey examined how the economic recession had affected benefit services provided by local authorities in England. In the six months before April 2009, applications for discretionary housing payments had increased in 69 per cent of councils surveyed, and 82 per cent reported higher demand for debt counselling.
Source: Testing Times: A survey examining how the recession is affecting benefit services, Audit Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Dec
The government began consultation on further reforms to housing benefit. There was concern about whether, and how much, housing benefit would be paid in work, leaving some people lacking confidence about moving off benefits. The complex interaction with other benefits and weekly adjustments in payments for those who worked variable hours could also reduce the incentives for work. In some areas, housing benefit could support customers to live in accommodation that many people in work could not afford: this made it harder for people to come off housing benefit when they moved into work.
Source: Supporting People Into Work: The Next Stage of Housing Benefit Reform, Cm 7769, Department for Work and Pensions/TSO
Links: Consultation document | CIH press release | NLA press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Dec
The government announced that it would rename council tax benefit as 'council tax rebate' as part of a campaign to encourage pensioners to claim the help they were entitled to.
Source: Press release 6 November 2009, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7712 2171)
Links: DWP press release
Date: 2009-Nov
The opposition Conservative Party announced proposed changes to the local housing allowance, aimed at increasing the supply of housing and helping the most vulnerable tenants. Under a Conservative government, tenants would be able to choose to have their housing allowance paid direct to landlords instead of themselves.
Source: Press release 22 October 2009, Conservative Party (020 7222 9000)
Links: Conservative Party press release | CPAG press release | Crisis press release | NLA press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Oct
A literature review summarized evidence relating to the operation of housing benefit since 1992.
Source: Sylvia Karabiner and Camellia Raha, Housing Benefit: A Literature Review, Research Report 587, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2009-Jun
The government announced that the average rise in council tax per household in 2009-10 would be 2.6 per cent – the lowest such increase since the tax was introduced in 1993.
Source: Press release 26 March 2009, Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 3000)
Links: DCLG press release | LGA press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Mar
