Coastline Housing is planning its own pilot of universal credit in an attempt to assess the ‘real impact’ of the flagship benefit reform.
The 4,000-home south west association is set to become the first landlord to pay to test universal credit under more realistic conditions than the official pilot schemes run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), in order to model the true cost of direct payment.
A proposed bill to exempt hundreds of thousands of households from the bedroom tax would lead to legal challenges, appeals and more administration costs for social landlords, sector experts have warned.
A private members bill to change the bedroom tax, tabled by Liberal Democrat backbencher MP Andrew George, passed its second reading in the House of Commons by 306 votes to 231 last Friday.
MPs will debate and vote on measures to change the bedroom tax as part of an ‘affordable homes bill’ today.
Liberal Democrat backbencher Andrew George has tabled a private members bill that would exempt people from the bedroom tax if they have not received a reasonable offer of alternative accommodation. It would also exempt disabled people whose home has been adapted.
Labour MPs are set to support proposed legislation that would water down the bedroom tax.
In an article for the blog website LabourList yesterday, Rachel Reeves,
shadow work and pensions secretary, confirmed that her party would vote
for the private members bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Andrew
George.