Industry news


Can late changes save Universal Credit from the scrapheap?


to MPs and better able to deliver payments and work incentives to claimants. Amid warnings from ex-Prime Ministers and


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facing a widespread rebellion among its own backbenchers, the Government decided it needs to make some important concessions to get Universal Credit back on track. Reports of strong disagreements between the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions (who are in charge of UC) did not bode well. But the high cost of changes could limit the extent of changes made in the Budget. First introduced to the north west of England in


2013, the rollout of UC will be slowed again (it is already several years behind its original schedule) while efforts are made to tweak it further so that 2.6m families ‘in need’ do not suffer the £2,400 a year cuts in their benefits that was being projected. In reality the impact of proposals could be even


worse than this as the Child Poverty Action Group has calculated that 4.3m families and close to 10m people (mostly children), will lose money. UC merges six benefits into a single payment but


it has been beset by IT delays, complexities, processing problems and cuts in payments to claimants. It was due to be fully in place by 2017 but problems and delays mean that the programme is now not expected to be fully complete until the end of 2023.


inisters have gone back to the drawing board in an effort to make their flagship welfare benefits scheme more acceptable


Social and private landlords have long


complained about UC saying it has pushed up levels of poverty and rent arrears, with charities blaming the new benefit system for higher levels of evictions and homelessness. In areas where UC has already been introduced, landlords can point to much higher levels of rent arrears than previously.


WARNINGS Sir John Major warned the Government that UC is becoming its very own poll tax from the 1980s, while Gordon Brown urged the Government to halt the roll-out of UC to prevent a period of discontent, chaos and riots. Conservative and Labour MPs lined up with the RLA in an unlikely alliance to condemn the scheme, while in a House of Commons debate Frank Field claimed that some of his constituents were being driven into prostitution by problems with late payments and how the scheme is working. With Esther McVey, the DWP Secretary of


State and Theresa May contradicting each other in the Commons on the likely impact of future cuts on benefit claimants, it was perhaps inevitable that Ministers would call ‘a pause’ to the roll-out. Eventually Iain Duncan Smith, the former DWP


Secretary and architect of the UC scheme was wheeled out to tour TV and radio studios claiming the system was working well and that thousands of people would find themselves better off in work. However, he did admit there was a problem as a


result of £2bn of work allowances being taken out of payments in 2015 by the former chancellor George Osbourne. These have never been replaced and further cuts have since been implemented. “We should direct the money back into universal


credit exactly as it was originally planned to be rolled out,” he said. “The reality is that £2bn was taken out.” Leaked Whitehall papers now suggest that a


large-scale transfer of existing claimants to the new system will not happen until November 2020, some 15 months later than originally envisaged. The Work and Pensions Minister, Alok Sharma, confirmed a slower rollout in interviews he gave to BBC news. Other changes could see some existing legacy


benefit payments continue to be made until a claim for UC is processed and a lower cap is imposed on how much money can clawed back from claimants for ‘in advance’ payments.


Bespoke qualification professionalises housing experience


A major social landlord is using £100,000 from the Apprenticeship Levy to fund a new bespoke qualification in housing, helping experienced staff to back up their on-the-ground experience with a nationally recognised certificate. The first cohort of students at Sovereign Housing


Association will see a lettings officer, housing officer, ASB officer, and a support worker among others line up as the first participants keen to achieve the level III Chartered Institute of Housing/Sovereign Housing Qualification. Matt Hensby, Head of Tenancy Management,


said: “At a time when our teams are faced by increasingly complex scenarios, including ASB, safeguarding vulnerable people, or resolving customer complaints, it’s ever more important to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to understand each situation that they come across. “That’s why we’re so excited to provide this CIH


course, which will help our people to understand the context in which they are working. Having an overview of the political, historical and financial


decisions that govern housing associations and seeing how that connects to their own role, will enable them to make informed decisions and deliver the services that our customers need, now and in the future.” One student Sam Hebbs, an Independent Living


Officer for Sovereign, said: “Like many people, I fell into housing by chance. I moved to a new area, saw a temp post, went for it. But what I found after only a short time, was that I loved working in housing. The days fly by, and it’s rewarding because you’re helping people. “The reason I’m doing this course, though, is


because I believe that knowledge is power: I can do even better in assisting residents if I have a good understanding of what other departments do. This qualification will also help me feel confident that I have the skills to move onto different roles within the housing profession.” Jill Cheshire, CIH Apprenticeship Manager, said:


“The Apprenticeship Levy has enabled organisations to invest in their employees in


the long term. They can now provide an avenue to increase their knowledge, skills and behaviours using a structured programme of learning and practice application though an apprenticeship. “We are very excited to be working with


and supporting Sovereign right from the beginning, to create a bespoke programme that underpins their values and ways of working. As housing professionals we all want to be able to serve our communities and residents as best we can.” Sovereign has also used the levy to support


employees to gain several construction-based qualifications and will soon fund courses in STEM subjects, support supply chain partners with apprenticeships, and enter into partnerships with schools and other key organisations. The landlord owns and manages 56,000 homes across southern England and was originally the stock transfer association of West Berkshire Council in Newbury. It employs about 1,800 staff.


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM November 2018 | 17


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