Information Bulletin

Summary of News and Publications from the Week ending 5 April 2013

JRF Activity
#IDS debate ignores long-term effects of austerity writes Helen Barnard in a JRF Blog Publication- The Links Between Housing and Poverty: an Evidence Review. How housing can mitigate or exacerbate the impact of poverty on people's lives.

Poverty
George Osborne has defended the benefit cuts which came into force on 1 April in a speech this week. The New Policy Institute has calculated the number of families affected by the three main benefit cuts which started in April and looked at their combined effects. Of the 660,000 families affected by the bedroom tax, 440,000 have also had their council tax benefit cut and will now have, on average, 16.90 less income per week. The benefits changes will result in a 2.3 billion cut in support for low income families compared to last year, according to the Child Poverty Action Group. In Northern Ireland, 21% (or 90,000) of children are living in relative poverty, according to a new report Improving Childrens Life Chances The Second Year. This figure is lower than the 120,000 estimated by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Save the Children. The report outlines the progress being made towards the target of fewer than 10% of children in relative poverty by 2020. Northern Ireland politicians are to debate the idea of the bedroom tax, following figures which show it could cost more to implement than it can save. The Low Pay Commission has been asked by the Government to formally consider the impact on employment and the economy of the minimum wage, before agreeing future increases. The number of people working on zero hours contracts has reached an all-time high, according to Office for National Statistics figures. Under zero hours, the contract has no guaranteed hours and only worked hours are paid for. At the end of 2012, 200,000 people were employed on this basis. The House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee has published a report which identifies four key areas that will be crucial to the successful implementation of the welfare reforms by local authorities. Details have been announced of Digital Deal, where social landlords will be able to bid for match funding to support their tenants in getting the skills and access to get them online. The fund is looking for around ten initiatives at an average individual amount of around 40,000, with the emphasis on skills rather than just capital outlay on equipment. Fund Prospectus is here.

The Family Fund has been supported for another two years by the Government. In 2012 the fund helped 50,000 families with seriously ill or disabled children.

Place
The annual average cost of owning and running a house has risen for the third successive year, increasing by 1.9% in the last 12 months to 9,590. More research, this time from Scottish Widows, shows that first time buyers would take 13 years on average to save up for a house deposit. A new survey of the social housing sector reveals that almost 38% of social landlords who responded singled out tenants ability to pay as their biggest fear going forwards, followed by 30% who put benefit changes and universal credit as their greatest concern. Another 25% put funding and finance at top. Peer Landlord Croydon is a scheme to renovate empty properties run by a homeless charity. Properties will be renovated by the people using the charitys services and will house people trying to get back into employment. One person in each property will be trained as a peer landlord, who can give guidance on employment and housing issues to other residents. The funding is part of the Empty Homes Community Fund. The popularity of the concept of co-housing is on the rise in recent years, where small groups of homes pool resources and share facilities to keep costs down and encourage community living. Shared facilities can include heating systems, laundry rooms, gardens, entertainment areas and guest accommodation. The Government is being lobbied to change the guidance where landlords are not allowed to use the carbon saving element of the 1.3 billion energy company obligation on properties that dont have a tenant living in them within a month of the energy efficiency work. Landlords want to use the funds to fit the more disruptive energy measures such as solid wall insulation, which are best carried out while the property is still empty. The UK has the highest levels of fuel poverty out of 13 western European countries. Although other countries may have higher fuel prices, the UK housing stock has poorer energy efficiency. A policy paper from Department of Energy and Climate Change looks at how renewable heating fits into the wider heat strategy and the solutions being implemented. The Future of Heating: meeting the challenge.

An Ageing Society
From 1 April, NICE, the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence became the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence and has begun its new programme of work. It will publish social care guidance and quality standards to bridge the gap between health and social care services. National Institute for Health & Care Excellence has published quality standards on dementia and supporting people with dementia to live well. They prescribe a person-centred and integrated approach and suggest the standards are used not only with people with a formal dementia diagnosis, but also those with cognitive impairment and probable dementia. Tower Hamlets has published the findings of Homes for Life: An Inquiry into Ageing, conducted in 2012 by speaking to 300 older residents. Suggested improvements include forming an advocates group of Older People Champions, property improvements and more community social activities to decrease isolation. Also, watch the film.

The decision to bring forward the introduction of the single tier pension scheme to 2016 has been criticised in a report from the work and pensions select committee. The report also calls on the Government to act quickly to provide understandable and accurate information about who will gain and lose from the proposals, since misconceptions are already beginning. This Information Bulletin is produced on a weekly basis as an update for staff at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) for the purposes of their work it is not intended to be comprehensive but represents a selection of news and reports appearing in the last week. The items contained in this Bulletin are for information only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the JRF and JRHT.