The government announced (in the Pre-Budget Report) that funding for the Supporting People programme (helping a wide variety of disadvantaged groups) would be cut to 1,685 million in 2006-07, down from 1,715 million in 2005-06.
Source: Britain Meeting the Global Challenge: Enterprise, fairness and responsibility - Pre-Budget Report, Cm 6701, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | HMT press release | NHF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
The Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Act received Royal assent. The Act was designed to extend the powers of the financial services regulator to cover home reversion plans and their Sharia-compliant equivalents.
Source: Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Act 2005, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Explanatory notes | HOC Library research paper
Date: 2005-Dec
The government began consultation on its initial strategy for taking forward the Supporting People programme (provision of housing-related support services to enable vulnerable people to live independently). It set out a proposed model to facilitate more focused and integrated service delivery.
Source: Creating Sustainable Communities: Supporting Independence, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Consultation document | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Nov
The Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Bill was given a third reading. The Bill aimed to extend the powers of the financial services regulator to cover home reversion plans and their Sharia-compliant equivalents.
Source: Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Bill, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 20 July 2005, columns 1327-1337, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC Library research paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
The Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Bill was given a second reading. The Bill aimed to extend the powers of the financial services regulator to cover home reversion plans and their Sharia-compliant equivalents.
Source: Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Bill, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 23 June 2005, columns 961-993, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HMT press release | HOC Library research paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
The government introduced a Bill to bring home reversion plans, and Sharia-compliant mortgages, under the auspices of the Financial Services Authority.
Source: Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Bill, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes
Date: 2005-May
The financial services regulator said that more than 70 per cent of mortgage advisers were not gathering enough information about their customers before offering them advice on equity release.
Source: Press release 24 May 2005, Financial Services Authority (0845 608 2372)
Links: FSA press release | FSA factsheet (pdf) | BBC report
Date: 2005-May
A report said that day centres for homeless people provided crucial support to help older vulnerable people who were housed to sustain their tenancies. Many housed users of the day centres were older men who were vulnerable and isolated. They lived alone and had no relatives or friends to whom they could turn for help. Most had been homeless in the past.
Source: Maureen Crane, Ruby Fu, Phil Foley and Tony Warnes, The Role of Homeless Sector Day Centres in Supporting Housed Vulnerable People, Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing/University of Sheffield (0114 2226270)
Links: Report (pdf) | UKCOH press release
Date: 2005-Feb
A report contained an evaluation of the eight local housing options projects, which contributed to a national housing options programme for older people.
Source: Gail Mountain and Helen Buri, Report of the Evaluation of Pilot Local Housing Options Advice Services for Older People, Care & Repair England (0115 950 6500)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A report said that pensioners spent 1 in every 8 running their homes, and this was set to increase by more than twice the rate of inflation over the following five years. The cost of running a home would double by 2020. Council tax, water and energy prices were set to rise faster than pensioners' income, forcing them to spend a greater proportion on basic necessities.
Source: Cost of a Home in Retirement, Datamonitor (020 7675 7000)
Links: Prudential press release (pdf) | Help the Aged press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
The government said that 4 out of 10 pensioners were not claiming the council tax benefit to which they were entitled. A total of 750 million pounds went unclaimed every year.
Source: Press release 10 January 2005, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7712 2171)
Links: DWP press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
