The reform of housing benefit

Economic Affairs

Volumn 19, Issue 3, 1999, Pages 9-13

  King, Peter ^a  

^a DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

FINANCIAL PROVISION; HOUSING POLICY; SOCIAL POLICY; WELFARE REFORM;

UNITED KINGDOM;

EID: 0032740932     PISSN: 02650665     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/1468-0270.00167     Document Type: Article

References (10)

1. S. Wilcox (1997) Housing Finance Review, 1997-8. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
2. DSS (1997) Social Security Support for Housing Costs. Welfare Reform Focus File 5, London: Department of Social Security.
3. M. Bevan, P. Kemp and D. Rhodes (1995) Private Landlords and Housing Benefit, York: Centre for Housing Policy.
4. However, one consequence of this system is that when local authorities decide to ignore the subsidy cap and increase rents, they must do so by a significant amount. The impact of this decision falls exclusively on those tenants paying their own rents with tenants dependent on housing benefit being entirely insulated.
5. DSS (1997) Private Landlords and Housing Benefit, op. cit.
6. Although a local authority may apply the local reference rents restrictions to housing associations in its area if it so wishes. Most authorities currently choose not to as they work in partnership with local associations who are the only social landlords capable of building new stock.
7. DSS (1997) Private Landlords and Housing Benefit, op. cit.
8. It is interesting that the government now appears to be suggesting that need should not be the top priority for the allocation of social housing. This is because of the desire to create so-called 'mixed communities' as opposed to welfare ghettos (see Inside Housing, 5 February 1999).
9. P. Kemp (1998) Housing Benefit: Time for Reform, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
10. This is a further argument for a national level of allowance to ensure that work incentives are not spatially different and thus have no adverse effects on labour mobility.