Agenda item

Welfare Reform Update

Report of the Director of Policy, Performance and Communications

Minutes:

7.1

The Committee received a report of the Director of Policy, Performance and Communications which set out the most significant current and future welfarebenefit changes and provided some information about how these had been addressed by the City Council and its partners.

 

 

7.2

In attendance for this item were Cat Arnold (Policy and Improvement Officer) and Maxine Stavrianakos, (Head of Neighbourhood Intervention and Tenant Support).

 

 

7.3

Cat Arnold introduced the report and stated that, at the moment, there were only a small number of customers in Sheffield claiming Universal Credit (UC), with full roll out due to take place from July 2018. Full budgeting and digital support was available for those moving onto Universal Credit.  She added that Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) had started to replace Disability Living Allowance and, at the moment, the initial impact seemed to be manageable in Sheffield.  However, evidence suggested that in other regions, the introduction of PIP had led to a reduction in the awards made.  With regard to the lower Benefit Cap, Cat Arnold stated that from January 2017, it was anticipated that there would be a rise from 113 households affected, to approximately 900.

 

 

7.4

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

 

 

 

·                     There were about 400+ Council tenants, mainly single, working-age people, affected at the moment by the introduction of UC.  Once the full digital service was introduced in July 2018, the number of those affected would become clearer and the Council was working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ensure that the most vulnerable customers received as much support as possible.  It was anticipated that when the full migration onto UC had taken place, there could be at least 30,000 residents affected across the city by 2021-22.

 

 

 

·                     With regard to Council tenants in debt, there was an independent dedicated debt worker based at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) is funded from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), to help those in need. Some other social landlords in the city provide a similar service with the CAB.

 

 

 

·                     Joint meetings are held with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs’) and representatives of the CAB to ensure that the message was getting through, and that there was an equal level of support given to tenants by these landlords. As well as supporting tenants, it was important for the RSLs’ income collection and their business models.

 

 

 

·                     It was not known exactly how many single tenants under the age of 35 lived in Sheffield, but information on this could be compiled and would be circulated to Committee Members.

 

 

7.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

 

 

 

(a)       thanks those attending for their contribution to the meeting;

 

 

 

(b)       notes the contents of the report together with the comments made and the responses provided; and

 

 

 

(c)        requests that (i) a report on the costs incurred by the Council when carrying out an eviction, including rehousing after the eviction, be submitted to the Committee in March/April, 2017 and (ii) a report on how the recently announced Autumn Statement was affecting tenants and the financial impact of these changes on the HRA, be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee.

 

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