Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Welfare reform: guide to what is changing
This year sees the biggest change to the benefits system for 60 years
These include
- The introduction of Universal Credit, a single means-tested benefit which will be paid to people of working age.
- Personal Independence Payments will replace Disability Living Allowance
- Council Tax Benefit will be replaced
- A benefits cap will be introduced
- Benefit appeal rights will change
- New conditions about looking for work will be introduced
- Parts of the social fund to be abolished
- Child benefit for high earners has been stopped
There is a new section on the Citizen's Advice Guide Advice Guide that aims to set out what the changes are, how they work and how people may be affected.
Click here for the guide.
Most people who will be affected by the above changes will be notified by the DWP via a letter. There is also information and a benefit cap calculator here from the DWP. The cap begins in Haringey and three other boroughs first before being rolled out nationally. This is because these four boroughs are managed by the same centre in Stratford.
Council Tax Benefit in Haringey
Under Haringey council’s proposals all households of working age who have previously not paid council tax will have to pay 20 per cent towards their council tax bill.
The changes to council tax benefit are due to government abolishing the benefit and handing control over to all local authorities, while cutting the allowance it gives to councils by 10 per cent.
Currently 25,560 households in Haringey receive support of 100% council tax benefit, meaning they don't pay anything towards their Council Tax bill.
Under Occupancy
People of a working age in social housing or housing association properties will also be affected by the new under occupancy rules or "bedroom tax" coming in. Homes for Haringey are putting systems in place to support people through this; vulnerable people may now have to apply for discretionary housing payments to make up the shortfall from housing benefit.
Advice Guide has a calculator to work out how many bedrooms the new rules say you are entitled to.
Useful links
- Debt advice from Citizen's Advice
- London Capital Credit Union
- Haringey Citizen's Advice
- Shelter has lots of information on housing benefit cuts, the benefit cap (money will be deducted from housing benefit and shortfalls will be made up from other benefit awards) and under occupancy
- NAWRA timeline on benefits changes (pdf) - other resources here
- CPAG resources on welfare reform
- GOV.UK benefits information
- Homes for Haringey
- Haringey Council page on council tax benefit changes, includes chart on how much per week will need to paid under the new system by those previously exempt.
- Disability Rights factsheet on PIP on ESA and timeline on forthcoming changes.
- Money Saving Expert guide to income and family - lots of useful advice on maximising income.
Photo by Alan Stanton on Flickr. Click to view
Updated 7th Feb 2013
Tags for Forum Posts: PIP, bedroom tax, benefits, council tax, homes for haringey, universal credit, welfare reform
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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This is fantastic summary Liz and bringing together of resources for the bombshell that is coming soon. Thanks for compiling this.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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I'd missed this completely. Looks a bit far fetched to me, from looking at Liz's link and the organisation's own website. I can't see what grounds they have to win to be honest, no matter how much you might feel sympathy for their aim.
Not that convinced is the best use of anyone's time really but maybe I'm just an old cynic...
More info here:
http://www.taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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There's a bit more at the BBC News website on this.
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Solicitors challenging Haringey Borough Council’s changes to council tax benefit have lost their case today.
Justice Underhill ruled in favour of the council meaning changes to council tax benefit will go ahead from April this year.
Solicitors from firm Irwin Mitchell, representing a single mother from Haringey, sought a Judicial Review arguing the council did not conduct a proper consultation of its council tax reduction scheme.
Read more in Haringey Indy
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See also this article from Inside Housing
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Thanks for this Liz. Spells out very clearly how stark this is. Very frightening
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Shelter also have a useful summary here:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/599391/Ho...
One thing I'd not properly appreciated until now - as I understand it - pensioners are exempt from the bedroom tax. Putting aside whatever you might feel about the rights and wrongs of the tax, I'm not clear about the logic behind their exclusion - anyone know?
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I think most of the pensioners who fought wars and voted for the NHS are in their late 80s and early 90s now. Pensioners younger (60-75ish) than that have had every advantage of the welfare state so far which is fine since that is what their parents voted for in 1945, although I think those self same 1945 voters were hoping it would extend to their grandchildren and beyond rather than be dismantled in one generation.
As to pensioners in council houses, I think, to put it bluntly (and the same applies to DLA being continued for those on it of a pensionable age), they will eventually go to God's Waiting Room in the sky and after them, there will be no more secure tenancies, succession rights or possibly even long term tenancies so there's no point chasing them out of their homes unless they want to go (and some do, large houses become difficult to manage eventually).
Some "goodish news" announced today re foster carers. They will be exempted as will those who have someone in the armed forces who is expected to return. Still no word on disabled children being entitled to their own room (presently they are not) but its looking likely that there may be a concession there as well.
For disabled adults, however, they will have to apply for short term discretionary housing payments to make up the shortfall if they need a second bedroom. Many disabled people were placed in 2 bedroom places precisely because their condition may require a partner to sleep separately or they have equipment that needs to be stored (some disabled people have hospital style beds at home) and this entirely humane way of treating people is being undermined by this ill thought our policy.
Moreover, while the government are telling people to downsize, there are simply not enough one-bedroom properties for them to all go to. Pushing them into the private sector would not bring down the cost as rents are much higher. The alternative is uprooting people to places where council properties are cheaper, but where work is even less likely to be available, not to mention uprooting children and families and placing them far from their support networks of grandparents and friends.
It's a bad policy all right and will do nothing to ease the pressure on housing.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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What horrifies me is the assumption that an extra bedroom is a wasted bedroom. My Dad was on dialysis and simply couldn't be in the same bed as my Mam. Because of his treatment he would have terrible itching sensations and would be awake half the night. My Mam wasn't well enough to look after him so my sister used to sleep on the living room floor and help him through the night when he had cramps so awful that he would weep (as a miner no easy thing to do in front of your daughter in those days). Neither of my parents were of pensionable age then so under this regime they would have had to move to a one bedroom place. This policy is so general that it takes no account of the real needs of people.
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That is such a sad and moving tale of your dad and I'm sure there are so many in similar situations now. This tax is one of the most vile things to have come from any govt in a long time. It really is an attack on people who have so little in the first place. There should be mass protests and civil disobedience till it is withdrawn.
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