Housing Executive briefs Housing Practitioners' Forum on "bedroom tax"
Staff from the Housing Executive briefed members of Housing Rights’ Practitioners’ Forum on the operation of the “bedroom tax” policy, at the most recent meeting on 15th June.
Social Sector Size Criteria
The “bedroom tax” has been operational since 20th February 2017, and currently affects around 33,500 social households across Northern Ireland. Supplementary payments are available for affected households. NIHE staff briefed attendees on the introduction of the policy, and revision of the policy in light of a recent successful Supreme Court challenge. This was followed by a Q&A, where issues discussed included decision-making processes in relation to the policy; NIHE plans for contacting social households in light of the Supreme Court challenge; and the thresholds for claimants demonstrating they require “regular overnight care.”
Legislation & information update
Following the Housing Executive briefing, an update was provided on relevant legislative and information developments since the last Forum. This included:
- changes to Housing Benefit temporary absence rules
- new Immigration Regulations
- Department for Communities' proposals to prevent the re-classification of housing associations as “public bodies”
- changes to Housing Benefit in the wake of a successful UK Supreme Court challenge
- the extension of the 2-child Child Tax Credit limit to Housing Benefit
- the publication of an FCA remediation framework, in the wake of Housing Rights’ legal action against Bank of Scotland
- the launch of the 2017-2022 Homelessness Strategy
- a change to the payable rate of SMI
Case law update
Attendees were also updated on relevant progressions in case law, including:
- accepting fresh homelessness applications after changes in circumstance – Abdulrahman v London Borough of Hillingdon
- the powers of English first-tier tribunals in relation to Social Security Benefits – Secretary of State for Work & Pensions v Carmichael & Sefton Borough Council
Advice queries & group discussion
Attendees then discussed recent housing cases and progressions, including:
- the launch of Housing Rights’ new Landlord Advice Line
- the ongoing case in relation to the charging of letting fees in Northern Ireland