The big squeeze
Two papers from sector heavyweights covered this week in Inside Housing suggest housing professionals may at last be getting to grips with the government’s madcap pace in reforming the sector.
The UK housing review, published annually by the Chartered Institute of Housing, pulls no punches in showing just how hard those families on housing benefit are going to be squeezed by proposed welfare reforms. It concludes that this will act as a spur to workless households to find jobs, although this assumes that there are jobs to be had.
Meanwhile, research body the Building and Social Housing Foundation has found that, at the other end of the affordable housing spectrum, the introduction of the new 80 per cent rent regime will add £1.56 billion to the housing benefit bill.
The government’s willingness to support social landlords use the housing benefit system to help develop more affordable homes is laudable, but should poor people elsewhere be forced to foot the bill?
