Issue - meetings

That the Committee notes the report and the positive measures being implemented by the Housing Service to mitigate the full extent of impacts from the welfare reforms from falling upon council tenants and to protect, as far as practical, the Housing Revenue Account income stream.

The Team Manager, Advice & Homeless Service introduced an update report on the latest position regarding Welfare Reform.  The report detailed work carried out by the Welfare Reform Response Team including targeting help to the 42 households in Flintshire which had been affected by the benefit cap.  An update on the Maximum Rent Social Sector (MRSS), commonly known as the Bedroom Tax, reported a recent change in legislation and it was also noted that two major reports were being produced on the impact of MRSS across Wales and the whole of the UK.  On the Discretionary Assistance Fund, a Council officer had worked with a Welsh Government (WG) Task Group to assess the impact of changes and to identify ways of extending the scheme to benefit more vulnerable people.  Although the Fund was currently available until the end of March 2015, WG was seeking clarification on the longer term.

The Committee was also advised that the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) had implemented a new system to improve the timescale for processing applications for Personal Independent Payments, prior to the migration of working-age Disability Living Allowance claimants in Autumn 2015.  As part of the initial stage of implementing Universal Credit across the UK, ten areas had been selected to accept claims from restricted groups, with Shotton Jobcentre beginning to accept claims from single unemployed claimants from 7 April 2014, with three claims being made during the first week.  Plans to rollout Universal Credit to other areas over time would involve the widening of criteria to include other claimant groups.  On Discretionary Housing Payments, proactive work was also being carried out to help households to manage their circumstances by alternative means, as this limited fund was unlikely to be extended over the longer term.  An update was also received on the comprehensive training programme which would continue to be rolled out and highlighted the successful outcomes from work by the Welfare Reform Response Team.

Whilst giving an overview of the appendices to the report, the Neighbourhood Housing Manager (North) explained the approach taken to engage with those affected by welfare reform to provide information and discuss options on managing the impacts.  As a result of the Maximum Rent Social Sector (Bedroom Tax), 890 tenants in Flintshire were currently subject to a reduction in Housing Benefit, although only a limited number had asked to be re-housed.  She was pleased to report that through a supportive approach by the Welfare Reform Response Team and Income Management Section, there had been no evictions as a result of rent arrears.  On the allocation statistics, it was noted that 9% of tenants had been transferred to alternative properties due to the Bedroom Tax, which exceeded the national average of 6%, however it was recognised that further work was needed.

The Chairman remarked on the positive work undertaken by the Rent Arrears Team.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood thanked the Housing team for the report and commented on the positive engagement with Shotton Jobcentre on Universal Credit.  She felt it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61