As social landlords don’t do fact how can we expect them to do nuance?
I see dozens of comments and articles from social landlord staff saying last week’s budget said nothing or very little about ‘housing.’ I strongly beg to differ!
Below is the latest of scores of examples that sees housing ‘professionals’ all stating there was nothing in the budget, blah, blah, blah, for ‘housing’ and one of scores of examples even from noted and respected social housing commentators. In this case Paul Hackett is a chief executive of a large housing association and one of many CEO’s who have said the Budget did nothing for housing… Oh dear!
The Budget included confirmation that the standard amount of housing benefit deducted from tenants for allowing their non-working 21 year old plus sons and daughters to remain at home will increase to £1029 per year from this April.
£1,029 per year taken off parent housing benefit (UC housing cost element) in non dependant deductions (NDD) is a recipe for a major increase in the arrears to eviction to homeless pathway. £1,029 per year is a far higher at source housing benefit cut than the bedroom tax is or ever was
On 1 April the standard UC housing cost element NDD increase to £85.74 each calendar month leaving parents who ‘allow’ their sons or daughters to remain in the ‘family home’ will see those parents have £85.74 per month and £1,029 per year deducted from their maximum housing benefit and which the parent(s) will need to make up else be evicted into homelessness – and need to make up in a cost of living crisis where government mitigation payments nowhere near cover the extra cost of gas and electricity, where they face 7% rent rises that will wipe out the 10.1% increase in their UC standard allowance and have to pay 20% or so more for food and God knows what increases in council tax, insurances and other unavoidable household expenditures.
NB This £1.029 per year is if the son or daughter is not in employment. But what if they are you ask?
IF the 21/22 year old son or daughter works 40 hours at the national minimum wage of £10.12 from April then the NDD from the parents housing benefit is more than the average social housing rent so the parent will not get a penny in housing benefit and the child needs to pay the rent for its parent(s)
There was nothing in the budget for housing claims almost every social landlord commentator? Oh dear! That would be the social (ahem!) rented sector that never walks an inch in a tenant’s shoes let alone a mile!
QED
Speye Joe 