Plymouth Community Homes News Issue 13 (1.3mb)

plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk
Money Matters PCH News
How will the new benefit
changes affect me?
You may have heard that from April, the government is introducing changes to benefits paid to
people on low incomes.
We want to give you as much notice as
possible about these changes so that you
can prepare for them.
There are three main changes you should
know about:
• Housing Benefit
• An overall limit on Benefits
• Council Tax Benefit
Housing Benefit
The changes mean that some people will
get less Housing Benefit than they do now.
From April, if you live in any council or
housing association home and you have
one or more ‘spare’ bedrooms, your
Housing Benefit may be reduced.
You may have heard this called the
‘Bedroom Tax’.
If you have one spare bedroom, your
Housing Benefit will be cut by 14 per cent
of the rent you are charged every week.
If you have two or more spare bedrooms
you will lose 25 per cent of your current
Housing Benefit.
If your benefit is cut you will have to pay
PCH the difference between your Housing
Benefit award and your rent charged.
Here’s an example of what we mean:
Mr and Mrs White live in a two-bedroom
flat costing £60 per week in rent. At the
moment Housing Benefit covers the full
cost of their rent.
Under the new rules they will have one
spare bedroom as couples are expected
to share a bedroom. Their housing benefit
will be reduced by 14 per cent of their
rent (14 per cent of £60 = £8.40). Their
Housing Benefit will be reduced by £8.40
to £51.60 per week. They will therefore
have to pay £8.40 per week towards their
rent themselves.
You will NOT be affected if:
• You live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit,
or if
• You or your partner are old enough
to receive Pension Credits (In April,
the Pension Credits age will be around
61 years and six months).
An overall limit on benefits
From April, the overall benefits you can
receive will be capped. The limit is £500
per week for families, and £350 per week
for single people.
The government will add up how much
money you get from a range of benefits
including Housing Benefit; Job Seeker’s
Allowance; Employment Support
Allowance; Child Benefit; Child Tax
Credits; and Carer’s Allowance.
If the total comes to more than the
maximum amount allowed, your Housing
Benefit payments will be reduced.
You will NOT be affected if:
• You receive Pension Credit or Working
Tax Credit
• A member of your household is
claiming Disability Living Allowance,
Attendance Allowance or the
support element of Employment
Support Allowance.
Council Tax Benefit
From April, if you are of working age and
claim Council Tax Benefit the amount of
support you receive will be cut. This will
apply even if you are now receiving either
full or partial Council Tax Benefit and
Housing Benefit.
This is because the government is
reducing the amount of money it gives to
local councils and is asking them to run
their own schemes which may vary from
area to area.
We don’t know any of the details yet about
Plymouth City Council’s scheme or how
much individuals will have to pay as a
result of this.
Where do I go for more info?
We understand all these changes to
benefits may seem confusing and worrying
to you and we want to help as much as
possible.
If you have any questions, please call
your local housing office or the Service
Information Centre in Frankfort Gate (all
contact details on the back page) and ask
to speak to a member of the Incomes Team.
Andy Brettle, a PCH Area Manager, said:
“There will be a lot of changes to the
benefits system over the coming months
and years and we appreciate some of them
may be confusing for tenants. We are here
to help tenants understand what it means
for them so if you have any questions,
please don’t hesitate to contact us.”
Remember, we’re here to help.
There are some other useful websites and
phone numbers below:
Housing Benefit/Council Tax advice
(Plymouth City Council) 01752 668000
Citizens Advice Bureau
08444 111 444 or 01752 520052
Government’s self-help website
www.direct.gov.uk
Department of Work and Pensions
www.dwp.gov.uk
Benefits and grant information and
benefits calculator
www.Turn2us.org.uk
Advice on all housing matters,
debt and benefits
www.England.Shelter.org.uk
0808 800 4000 (freephone)
Home swapping
www.Homeswapper.co.uk
National Debtline
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk
0800 808 4000 (freephone)
Independent budgeting, savings and
debt advice
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
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