By Aaron Barbour
“There are 66 words in the Lord’s Prayer; 42 laws of cricket; but housing benefit regulations runs to 967 pages, five parts, six schedules and 40 statutory instruments.”
(I Jones, 2005)
Housing benefit is the most complex benefit. There have been numerous amendments, resulting in the current system becoming extremely complicated. This makes its administration cumbersome, and it is therefore often poorly done.
Housing benefit in 2008 creates a huge amount of confusion amongst claimants, staff (across government departments and agencies) and landlords alike.
LinksUK is submitting an Evidence Paper to the Housing Benefit Review, which was announced in this year’s Budget page 62, section 4.14. Our Evidence Paper details some of the issues, problems and concerns that Community Links has with housing benefit; we illustrate the report with some examples and case studies taken from our Advice Team, staff and clients. The report offers a number of constructive solutions and recommendations.
Newham has the highest housing benefit claimant rate in London, so for our borough reform is urgently needed. Not more piecemeal reform, but progressive, joined up, big picture reform. This reform shouldn’t be done in isolation, but integrated into a wider context of national housing policy and benefit simplification. To this end we think that housing benefit reform should:
- Support people sufficiently, for a decent period of time, enabling them to find the right property which suits their needs
- Improve administrative costs / complexity, with a focus on improving customer service
- Improve work incentives
- Reduce official and customer error
Download a copy of the evidence paper ‘Housing Benefit Reform in 2008’ and let us know what you think.
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