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12 The Shuttle DECEMBER2012The ShuttleMONEY MATTFOUR-PAGE SPECIALFOREWORDby Councillor Andy Kay,Executive Member forResources and CouncillorYusuf Jan-Virmani,Executive Member forNeighbourhood, Housingand Customer ServicesThe government is pushingahead with changing the benefitssystem. Many changes havealready happened and more will behappening soon.For example, people who live insocial housing (i.e. you rent from ahousing association) could see theirhousing benefit cut if they have morebedrooms than new governmentrules say they need for their familysize.Another big change is the wayCouncil Tax benefit is administered.Councils have been told to comeup with their own local schemes onhow to decide who gets support topay their council tax bills.We have been talking tohundreds of people, including thosewho receive support and those whodon’t, over the last few months tohelp shape the new scheme. Theresults of this consultation are setout in this guide.Clearly, welfare reform is goingto have a major impact on people inour borough.The fact is that because of thesechanges some people will receiveless money than they did before.I know that many of you will beworried about what this could meanfor you and your family.This guide will help you findout some of the things that arehappening and what you can do toprepare for them by telling you whowill be affected.We also outline where you cango to get help and advice.Now is the time to get thathelp and support and we will beregularly updating you on otherchanges as they happen.Your guide toBenefit capWHAT IS IT?From April, a limit will be put on thetotal amount of benefit that mostpeople aged 16 to 64 can get. Thisis called a benefit cap.WHAT ARE THE LIMITS?4£500 per week for a couple or family(including lone parents)4£350 for a single personHOW IS THE CAP WORKED OUT?The Government will add up how muchmoney you get altogether from arange of benefits, including:4Housing benefit4Jobseeker’s allowance4Employment support allowance4Child benefit4Child tax creditFor a full list of those benefits includedas income when calculating the benefitcap, please see the government websiteat: http://www.gov.uk/benefit-capIf the total of these comes to more thanthe maximum amount allowed,your Housing Benefit payments will bereduced. You will have to makeup the difference between the HousingBenefit you receive and the fullamount of rent due.You won’t be affected by the benefitcap if you qualify for Working TaxCredit (whether or not you claimit), or if you get any of the followingbenefits:4Disability Living Allowance4Personal Independence Payment(from April 2013)4Attendance Allowance4Industrial Injuries Benefits (andequivalent payments as part of a wardisablement pension or the Armed4Forces Compensation Scheme)4Employment and Support Allowance,if you get the support component4War Widow’s or War Widower’sPensionThose who were previously working forat least a year before losing their jobwill be protected for up to 39 weeksfollowing the end of employment if theylost their work through no fault of theirown.WHEN WILL THE CAP APPLY?The benefits cap will apply from April.The Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) is getting in touch with those whothey believe are likely to be affected bythe cap. Bear in mind the DWP may nothave the most up-to-date informationabout you when they write to you.Your circumstances may also changebetween now and April.WHAT CAN I DO?If you are concerned about the BenefitsCap and how it will affect you,please call the Department for Work andPensions (DWP) helplinenumber 0845 605 7064, or textphone0845 608 8551 for people withhearing or speech impairments.The advice line may refer you to yourlocal Jobcentre Plus for help andsupport with finding work, or Blackburnwith Darwen Council for other support.They won’t be able to tell you about howmuch benefit you are getting or howmuch you will lose. They can signpostyou to the benefit enquiry line to findhow much you are currently getting.Also:Check how much benefit you areentitled to now to find out how muchHousing Benefit you are likely to loseEXAMPLE ONEwhen the cap is applied next year.This may affect which options you needSophie is a full time lone parent looking after three children after the break up ofher marriage. The youngest child is three. The other two children are in full-timeeducation. The household receives £600 a week in benefits including £150 inhousing benefits. The family’s cap is £500. Their housing benefit will be cutto £50. They will need to use their income to pay their rent shortfall meaningcutting back on other things.to consider. You can use the Departmentfor Work and Pensions benefit capcalculator at http://www.gov.uk/benefitcapMake sure you are claiming all thebenefits you can – for example,money to help with the costs of adisability.Councils have a limited amount ofmoney available to make discretionarypayments towards housing costs.Creating a connected, prosperous, clean, safe and healthy Blackburn with Darwen
For more information about all Council Services see www.blackburn.gov.uk The Shuttle 13ERS SPECIALFOUR-PAGE SPECIALbenefit changesThe bedroom taxSome residents who live in HousingAssociation or Social Housingaccommodation will see theirhousing benefit cut from April iftheir home is deemed to have oneor more spare bedrooms.Under the new under occupationrules being introduced by thegovernment, people could see theirhousing benefit cut by up to 25%.They will deem you to be underoccupying if, for example, you are acouple living in a three bedroom house.THE NEW RULES ALLOW ONEBEDROOM FOR:4Each adult couple4any other person aged 16 or over4two children of the same sex under theage of 164two children under the age of tenregardless of their sex4any other child4a carer (who does not normally livewith you) if you or your partner needovernight careIt does not matter how the ‘spare’bedroom is used, the new rules willEXAMPLE ONEMrs Green, 55, lives with her husband Eddie, 58, and daughter Tamika, 18, in athree-bedroom house. Under the rules that come into effect next April, the Greensare under-occupying the home, even though ill-health means Mr Green has tosleep in the spare room by himself. They would lose 14 per cent of their housingbenefit.apply even if:4you and your partner need to sleepapart because of a medical condition4your children mainly live at anotheraddress, but you have a spare room forwhen they stay with youIT WILL AFFECT YOU:4If you are 16 to 61 years old4Even if you only get a small amount ofHousing Benefit – for example, if you areworking4even if you are sick or disabledYOU WON’T BE AFFECTED IF:4you live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit4you or your partner are old enoughto receive pension credits (in April 2013the pension credit age will be around 61years and 6 months)4you part-own the property under ashared ownership leaseIf you have a “spare” room:4From April, it means a 14% cut toyour housing benefit for one spare roomand 25% if you have two.4You will have to pay your landlord thedifference between your Housing Benefitand your full rent, to avoid building uparrears.WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?The changes are happening fromApril so now is the time to get helpand support. You have two mainoptions, stay and make up the paymentsor move to a smaller home.The best place to start is getting intouch with your landlord who can giveyou advice on both these options.EXAMPLE TWOMr and Mrs Bell live in a fourbedroom house. Their 10 year oldson James lives with them. Theiroldest son Jack has left home butsometimes come back to stay. TheBells have lived there for nearly 20years. Mr Bell is in work but earningminimum wage. Their rent is £100per week and they receive £10 perweek in housing benefit.Under their new rules, they wouldbe treated as having one spareroom and would lose all theirhousing benefit. They don’t want toleave their family home so they areplanning to make up the shortfall.EXAMPLE THREENas lives in a three bedroom home with her two daughters aged 12 and 13. Theyhave lived there for 10 years. She is currently claiming Employment and SupportAllowance as she is sick. She gets full housing benefit for £75 per week rent.The rules say she has one spare room because one bedroom will be included for herand one for her two daughters to share. Her housing benefit will reduce by £10.50per week.Creating a connected, prosperous, clean, safe and healthy Blackburn with Darwen
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