WelshTenantsFed http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk Tenant Advocacy and Advice Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:31:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Important Changes to Housing Benefit http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2012/02/important-changes-to-housing-benefit/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2012/02/important-changes-to-housing-benefit/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:27:12 +0000 admin http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=412 Continue reading →]]> There are significant changes being made to a range of welfare payments including housing benefit, local housing allowances and under-occupation of premises. These changes will affect 99% of welfare claimants in Wales.

The Welsh Tenants Federation are providing assistance to Shelter Cymru in p[artnership with the Welsh Government and other leading bodies to help promote these changes. If you are already claiming Housing Benefit, the changes are likely to affect the amount of money you get towards your rent.

For further information and advice contact 0845 075 5005 or you may wish to visit  the following:

Shelter Cymru:
http://www.sheltercymru.org.uk/get/projects-display.aspx?Parentid=2&year=&pageid=144&subcat=58

Citizens advice: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/your_money/benefits_index_page_ew.htm

DirectGov: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_192415

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2012/02/important-changes-to-housing-benefit/feed/ 0 Welsh Government Consultation http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/11/welsh-government-consultation/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/11/welsh-government-consultation/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:48:14 +0000 admin http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=372 Continue reading →]]>

New mandatory power of possession for anti-social behaviour

We are seeking your views on a new mandatory power of possession for anti-social behaviour and whether or not these powers are needed in Wales.
Start of consultation: 18/11/2011
End of consultation: 10/02/2012

The consultation paper proposes to introduce a new mandatory power of possession for anti-social behaviour.

We welcome views on:

  • Introducing a mandatory power of possession; and
  • The implementation of this power.

How to respond

Please submit your comments by 10 February 2012, in any of the following ways:

Email
affordablehousing.actionteam@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Post
ASB Consultation
Affordable Housing Delivery Team
Housing Directorate
Welsh Government Offices
Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil
CF48 1UZ

Additional information

If you have any queries on this consultation, please telephone: 0300 062 8258.

The information you send to us will be published in a summary of responses to this consultation. Normally the names and addresses (or part of them) of their authors are published along with the response. If you do not wish to be identified as the author of your response, please state this clearly when you write or e-mail.

Reposted from: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/housingcommunity/antisocialbehaviour/?lang=en

 

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/11/welsh-government-consultation/feed/ 0 Homelessness, downsizing and Priority Move-On http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homelessnes-downsizing-and-priority-move-on/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homelessnes-downsizing-and-priority-move-on/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:29:56 +0000 admin http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=360 Continue reading →]]> Downsizing has become a major discussion point among Welsh Tenants Federation members. The anxiety of tenants have increased significantly following the UK government proposals to penalise tenants for under-occupying their home. From April 2013 tenants in the RSL sector who claim housing benefit will have no choice but to contribute 13% of the rental cost out of their welfare payments if they under-occupy a property by 1 bedroom and up to 23% if two bedrooms or more. This will create significant hardship for many poor families already hitting multiple deprivation indicators such as fuel poverty and unemployment.
The issue of how we support and enable people to ‘move-on’ (perhaps as a last resort) if they are unable to meet these additional costs, is therefore a popular discussion point among the tenants movement.
The Welsh Tenants Federation have argued for better support to exchange or transfer and indeed for the Welsh Government to take the lead on developing compensation schemes for tenants who wish to free up their under-occupied homes for families who are desperate for that accommodation, thereby making more efficient use of the existing stock. Compensation schemes are on offer, but they vary widely across Wales from £100 to £2,500. Schemes vary within a single landlords stock and can be based on the condition of the property, size of the rooms being freed up and its location. However existing schemes lack consistency, fairness and transparency. They depend hugely on whether the property being vacated is indeed desirable to exchange. This can unfairly penalise tenants who live in poorly maintained housing on sink estates.
Tenants have had a right to mutual exchange or transfer among a suite of rights since the introduction of the 1984 Housing Act. The scheme was extended to include assured housing tenants in the housing act 1996 and under the tenants guarantee. However the scheme is not actively encouraged widely by all landlords, this despite 20% of tenants stating they would consider moving if a suitable property could be found and the costs of removal could be met.
The Welsh Tenants Federation has suggested that we should consider whether there should be a legal duty on RSLs and LA to support tenants who are under-occupying as a priority need category thereby ensuring that loyal tenants who under-occupy get priority when homes become available. This would have the benefit of ensuring that families stuck in unsuitable or overcrowded temporary accommodation can move-in more quickly, while the family waiting in temporary accommodation can more quickly receive suitably sized accommodation. Priority move-on could also increase the level of priority if the family moving on from their existing social housing can also demonstrate that the move-on would enhance their job prospects.
According to research published by the intergenerational foundation, there are 25 million empty rooms in the owner-occupied sector across the UK. Many elderly people are capital rich while being cash poor, combing opportunities to support owner occupier conversions, providing more flexible Priority move-on, coupled with social letting agencies and internet providers such as home swap direct, we can begin to make better use of the existing stock across the range of markets. We need a more whole market solution. We need to get away from the controlling and restricting aspects of the existing systems to do so.
By Steve Clarke, Managing Director, Welsh Tenants Federation

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homelessnes-downsizing-and-priority-move-on/feed/ 0 Homeswap Direct http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homeswap-direct/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homeswap-direct/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00:56 +0000 admin http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=355 Continue reading →]]> Tenant have indicated their concern about the availability of real choice to exchange or transfer both within their own landlords stock and to other landlords both within the sector and the potential to extend transfer options to include support to downsize to other sectors such as the private rented or owner-occupied.
We have raised the issue alongside the general concerns tenants have expressed about their ability to downsize their homes and to receive support or compensation for good maintenance of their tenanted properties. This is a pressing issues as the welfare reforms under-occupation rule has frightened many people.
We are pleased to see the Minister for Housing Regeneration and Heritage Hugh Lewis has written to all social landlords encouraging them to join a new scheme that enables tenants to register to swap their homes through Home Swap Direct.
Steve Clarke, managing director of Welsh Tenants Federation said Home Swap Direct is one internet service where tenants can explore options to move to another location providing tenants with the ability to exchange to a wider choice of homes to find work or move to areas where work may be more achievable.
However, the scheme requires that someone else will want to move into your home. If you are struggling to find work in your area or someone doesn’t put up a property that is suitable for your needs then it’s going to provide you with very limited choices. There are only about a hundred landlords on some of the schemes and most located in England. You would need thousands of small medium and large landlords to offer any real flexibility and fluidity in the market.
The Housing Act 1985 gave social tenants the right to exchange tenancies and this was later included for housing association tenants, thousands of them take place every year across the UK. Moves of this nature were previously facilitated by the HOMES agency, which ran a national mutual exchange register called Homeswap among other projects designed to help tenants move more freely to areas of their choice. In 2007 funding was hacked and it closed leaving the private sector to take up the gap. Following a brief injection of government money it was re-launched as MoveUK. It also failed but re-launched as a ‘for profit’ service. The market now has a plethora of companies offering mutual exchange services homeswapper, housexchange; apply4homes; etc. helping to facilitate mutual exchanges, however the issue of performance for landlords who buy into the schemes is still an issue of concern. Bringing together some of the market leaders into a single scheme may help that.
To encourage more flexibility and fluidity into exchange and transfers, what we need is a radical re-think about how we enable people to explore downsizing options, such as developing cooperative schemes to bring into use empty homes, an exploration of home share in the owner occupied sector to better utilise the estimated 25 million empty rooms. Sometimes the private sector does not provide the right solutions for these approaches. This is however one welcomed piece in a jigsaw but a small and necessary piece. Further information about Homeswap direct can be found here http://www.houseexchange.org.uk/
http://www.homeswapper.co.uk/index.asp?Sesh=7145099928K158765340&language=English

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/homeswap-direct/feed/ 0 Hardest Hit Rally http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/harest-hit-rally/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/harest-hit-rally/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:51:24 +0000 admin http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=350 Continue reading →]]> The Welsh Tenants Federation attended the hardest Hit campaign in Cardiff where more than 1,000 people gathered together outside City Hall, to rally against the welfare reforms imposed by the UK government.
The call to action, organised by Disability Wales CEO Rhian Davies provided an opportunity to voice people’s concerns over proposed welfare reforms.
The campaign across the UK was organised jointly by the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) and the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC), included individuals and more than 50 organisations in a fight against the Government’s planned welfare reforms, currently being steered through Parliament.

Wales was represented by Disability Wales, Parkinson’s society, RNIB, Cymorth Cymru, and many more small and medium sized charities providing support to those in greatest need across Wales. The campaign reported that more than 5,000 people gathered in 12 different cities across the UK for the Hardest Hit Day of Action, including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leeds, Brighton, Manchester, Newcastle, London and Birmingham.

The last two years has seen a range of reforms designed to hit the poorest in society with disabled people those being hardest from benefit changes to local authorities slashing social care budgets.

Steve Clarke of the Welsh Tenants Federation said he was pleased to support the rally because the Welsh Tenants Federation were concerned at the bias contained in the proposed legislation that unfairly penalised forms of tenure and disabled people. He added, “the under occupation rule applicable to social housing tenants claiming housing benefit is particularly harsh, where people will have to contribute out of their disposable benefits 13% if they have one room un-occupied and 23% if two or more rooms. Yet, the government are paying millions to help under occupied owner occupiers to stay in their home. While the social housing sector has around 20% under occupation the owner occupied sector has over 2/3rds under occupying. People with disabilities in the social housing sector on welfare are being unfairly penalised by their tenure and that’s unfair and unjust. Further information about the rally can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15416422

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/10/harest-hit-rally/feed/ 1 Welfare reforms in disarray http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/06/welfare-reforms/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/06/welfare-reforms/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:49 +0000 Kerry http://welshtenantsfed.org.uk/?p=1 Continue reading →]]> Child Poverty Action GroupConsiderable concessions are having to be made in relation to the welfare and housing benefit reforms announced by the government. Children’s charity the Child Poverty Action Group has won the right to challenge the legality of the controversial CAPs on LHA. The direction by Lord Justice Collins in May has given the right for a fast track judicial review. Government lawyers today are having to scurry to the high court to defend caps on the Local Housing Allowance introduced in April. If the judgement goes against the Government, they may be required to suspend or reverse the changes and rebate claimants for any loss of Housing Benefit since 1st April.  We support their campaign, why don’t you: www.cpag.org.uk

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/06/welfare-reforms/feed/ 0 A review of the rent setting policy for Wales http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/a-review-of-the-rent-setting-policy-for-wales/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/a-review-of-the-rent-setting-policy-for-wales/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:37:40 +0000 Kerry http://188.65.112.30/~welshten/?p=53 Continue reading →]]> Jocelyn Davies - Plaid Cymru Deputy Minister for HousingMembers may recall that the Deputy Minister for Housing asked for a review of the rent setting policy for Wales be undertaken. The Essex Implementation Programme Board and its Strategic Board recommended that independent reviews of both the Housing Revenue Account regime (HRA) and the Social Sector Rent Policies should be undertaken. This work is now almost complete. Whilst there are two reviews they are closely linked. The Housing Directorate is responsible for setting Guideline rents for HRA Subsidy purposes for Local Authorities and Benchmark rents for the Registered Social Landlord (RSL) Sector.

About the HRA and HRA subsidy System – A Local Authority Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is essentially a ring-fenced income and expenditure account of transactions relating to Council Housing Stock. The elements making up the HRA are contained in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Housing Act 1985 while further guidance is contained in Welsh Office circular 33/95. LA actual rents support the HRA and provide funding for maintaining Council stock and meeting WHQS. The Housing Revenue Account Subsidy System (HRASS) forms a part of the Housing Revenue Account, it attempts, through notional calculations, to provide an estimate of the level of subsidy required by LAs to maintain their Council House stock. Currently the subsidy for all LAs in Wales is negative and is consequently repaid to HM Treasury under the Devolved Administration Funding policy. The main elements considered in the calculation of the subsidy are income from Rents, Management and Maintenance allowances and Capital Finance charges (borrowing costs). Levels of Rents and Management and Maintenance allowances are set annually by the Welsh Assembly Government with the aim to achieve financial neutrality of the level of negative subsidy. Consideration is also given to LAs 30-year stock retention business plans when the annual levels are determined. It is anticipated that the HRASS will end thus no longer requiring us to participate in the redistribution of positive or negative balances across all LAs in England and Wales.

Rents for RSLs are the main source of income for housing associations and provides funding for private sector borrowing and is fundamental to the sustainability of business plans and meeting Welsh Housing Quality Standards(WHQS). The consultation document will propose a new national policy for the setting of rents by Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities that own housing stock. The aim is to provide a system that is consistent, transparent, and fair to both landlords and tenants.

We anticipate that the consultation will begin shortly. Anyone interested in rent setting or the review of the HRASS please contact us.

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/a-review-of-the-rent-setting-policy-for-wales/feed/ 1 New ASB report for community activists http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/new-asb-report-for-community-activists/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/new-asb-report-for-community-activists/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:37:00 +0000 Kerry http://188.65.112.30/~welshten/2011/04/new-asb-report-for-community-activists/ Continue reading →]]> The Home Office has published Baroness Newlove’s report showing how community activists can tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB). Baroness Newlove, whose husband Garry was kicked to death by a drink and drug fuelled gang of youths, has visited activists up and down the country to find examples of how communities and the authorities are working together against ASB. The report our vision for safe and active communities is written by an activist for activists and contains many good practice examples showing how groups of volunteers have formed to rid their local area of ASB. It provides advice and ideas for local communities working with police, local authorities and social landlords to uphold the law and enforce tenancy conditions. From a landlord’s perspective, the report provides a useful insight into current practice and strategies for tackling ASB that can be shared with residents. The recommendations include:

  • ‘Community Reward’ – where information provided by the community leads to a conviction the community is given a reward to spend on crime prevention work
  • ‘Bling Back’ – where money made from selling local drug dealers’ assets is handed back to the neighbourhood they blighted
  • letting communities set their own local speed limits
  • taking crime maps to the next level so people can use them to report crime and ASB and agencies can publish details of what action was taken against offenders
  • giving the public a single point of contact through the roll out of the 101 number to report ASB
  • providing council tax rebates, or vouchers for local businesses and services, for people who take part in activism
  • asking Police and Crime Commissioners to commit at least one per cent of their budget to grass roots community groups to use or have a say on
  • Our Vision for Safe and Active Communities is available to download below.

If you have any views as to the reports findings, conclusions and recommendations we would love to hear from you.
The document can be accessed by clicking here:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/baroness-newlove-report?view=Binary.

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/new-asb-report-for-community-activists/feed/ 0 Supporting People Review http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/supporting-people-review/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/supporting-people-review/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:34:00 +0000 Kerry http://188.65.112.30/~welshten/2011/04/supporting-people-review/ Continue reading →]]> As you may be aware the final report of the Supporting People Review was published in Nov 2010. The head of the government-commissioned study, Professor Mansel Aylward, said of the supporting people programme that the £140 million supported housing scheme could be more efficient. Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru’s Tai 2010 conference, he said the scheme ‘his review would look at simplifying the system, and making it more efficient and accountable’. Talking to people who benefit from the services and seeing the difference it makes to their lives had convinced him the programme should be kept, he said.
Deputy housing minister Jocelyn Davies ordered the review in 2009, to ensure the scheme is being delivered efficiently. In 2009-10 £138 million was spent on Supporting People in Wales. It has been allocated £141 million for 2010/11. The review aims to ensure housing support services are tailored to individual need and high quality support that demonstrates value for money is delivered.
The Assembly Government are now working towards the implementation of the recommendations contained within the report these include:

  • Work on establishing a measure of the value for money of the programme
  • Reviewing the work done by LE Wales on distribution and working up recommendations around a funding formula
  • Considering the outcomes pilot and how outcomes from the SP programme can be robustly evaluated and collected
  • Working up recommendations around the future structure and administration of the programme
  • Conclusions on how the regulation of the programme can be improved
  • Undertaking a “following the money” exercise tracing funding from WAG to service users.

A copy of the report and questions relating to the implementation of the programme can be found here: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/housing/supportingpeople/supportedreview/finalreport/?lang=en.

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/supporting-people-review/feed/ 0 Guidance for Local Authorities on Allocation of Accommodation and Homelessness’ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/guidance-for-local-authorities-on-allocation-of-accommodation-and-homelessness/ http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/guidance-for-local-authorities-on-allocation-of-accommodation-and-homelessness/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:32:00 +0000 Kerry http://188.65.112.30/~welshten/2011/04/guidance-for-local-authorities-on-allocation-of-accommodation-and-homelessness/ Continue reading →]]> The Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration has issued ‘The Code of Guidance for Local Authorities on Allocation of Accommodation and Homelessness’ along with the consultation questions relating to the report. You can access the document via the housing homepage on the Welsh Assembly Government website or by going here:

http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/housingcommunity/codehomelessness/;jsessionid=lSYyNJ8PKNTXSLHSNkHpnDCLLBzv24KChGYnmsQdRTJpjp99dGMB!-301227275?lang=en.

Although the document is mainly targeted for allocation and homelessness practitioners, chapters 2 and 7 give a flavour of the impacts of the amended guidance.

]]> http://www.welshtenantsfed.org.uk/2011/04/guidance-for-local-authorities-on-allocation-of-accommodation-and-homelessness/feed/ 0