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housing benefits, bedroom tax, supported housing

Support for housing costs inquiry - evidence session announced

12 December 2013

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The Work and Pensions Select Committee has today announced the third oral evidence session for its inquiry into support for housing costs in the reformed welfare system. The witnesses will be representatives of local government and private landlord representative organisations. 

The session will consider

  • The impact of the Benefit Cap and the social sector size criteria on local authority tenants and how local authorities are supporting tenants
  • How local authorities are managing Discretionary Housing Payments
  • How different local authorities are managing the localisation of support for council tax 
  • The impact of the reforms on the funding arrangements of local authorities
  • How reforms are impacting rents in the private sector and the availability of housing to benefit claimants
  • The impact of the reforms on the choices that private landlords are making about letting to benefit claimants and about providing temporary accommodation

The Committee issued terms of reference for this inquiry on 23 July.

Wednesday 18 December at 9.30 am, Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

Witnesses

Panel one, at 9.30 am

  • Industrial Communities Alliance – Prof Steve Fothergill, Director
  • Local Government Association - Councillor Sharon Taylor, Chair of LGA Finance Panel
  • Newcastle City Council - Councillor Joyce McCarty, Deputy Leader, London Borough of Brent
  • West London Housing Partnership - Laurence Coaker, Head of Housing Needs.

Panel two, at 10.45 am

  • Centrepoint - Jennifer Barnes, Policy and Research Manager
  • National Landlords Association - Carolyn Uphill, Chairman
  • Residential Landlords Association - Chris Town, Vice Chairman

Further evidence sessions have been provisionally scheduled on the following dates:

  • Wednesday 15 January at 9.30 am
  • Wednesday 29 January at 9.30 am 
  • Wednesday 12 February at 9.30 am

All meetings will be in a House of Commons Committee room and will be held in public. Details will be confirmed in due course.