Welfare Reform

Northern Ireland’s poorest families fall behind rest of UK

2 April 2014

New research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that Northern Ireland families have suffered a dramatic drop in their income following the economic downturn. Overall, almost 400,000 people live in poverty in Northern Ireland.

Household incomes, poverty rates and the labour market have all worsened in Northern Ireland in the last five years - in each case, this deterioration has been greater than in Great Britain (GB).

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Welfare Reform

Bedroom tax appeals

18 March 2014

There’s a huge thirst for information about the bedroom tax and its possible impact here, as evidenced by our sold out briefing session last month. At the session, we looked at some of the key arguments against this policy that have been heard by tribunals in Great Britain. These cases will be of great interest to housing and welfare professionals.

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Social Tenancies, Welfare Reform, Legal

Welfare Reform: Bedroom tax challenge fails & DWP confirms housing sanctions

27 February 2014

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling which found that the Bedroom Tax discriminates against people with disabilities yet held that this discrimination was justified.

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Welfare Reform, Affordability

UN report on housing in UK

6 February 2014

The UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Ronik’s report into housing in the UK has just been released.

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Welfare Reform, Legal

The benefits of good medical evidence

20 November 2013

Research carried out by the University of York and Heriot-Watt University into how local authorities in England assess medical evidence when making a decision on the vulnerability of homeless applicants makes for interesting reading.

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Welfare Reform, Equality

Welfare reform and the rates rebate system

24 October 2013

Housing Rights Service is involved in discussions around the future of rates support in Northern Ireland and has responded to a recent Government consultation. Nicola McCrudden, our Policy Manager, outlines our views.

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Welfare Reform, Policy

Challenges to the bedroom tax

9 October 2013

Over the last few of weeks, a number of challenges to the ‘bedroom tax’ have been heard in Great Britain. The bedroom tax is a new measure introduced under the Government’s programme of welfare reform whereby the amount of Housing Benefit which a social tenant receives will be reduced if they are regarded as under-occupying their home. The bedroom tax has not yet been introduced in Northern Ireland.

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Social Tenancies, Welfare Reform, Legal

The impact of benefits reform on social housing in Northern Ireland

3 October 2013

It seems that not a day goes by without the media being dominated by stories about welfare reform and the impact that it is having on people; especially in Great Britain where Universal Credit is being gradually introduced.

As a forerunner to future changes to welfare benefits in Northern Ireland, a number of reforms to Housing Benefit (HB) have already been implemented over the last number of years.