I may well be late to the party here, but a couple of specific issues with Universal Credit have been pointed out to me that I, at least, had not heard before. So, in case I am not alone, I pass these on. They both amount to a significant departure from the ‘legacy benefit’ position […]
Category Archives: Benefits
All benefit related posts
The Bedworth bedroom conundrum
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council v RH and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2017) UKUT 471 (AAC) A very interesting (and perhaps surprising) Upper Tribunal 3 judge decision on the issue of ‘what is a bedroom’ for the purposes of Housing Benefit Reg 13 – the bedroom tax. RH occupied property described as […]
Universal Credit – here comes the homelessness
[Update 22 November 2018. In the Budget, the Govt has said that: a) the 7 days without any payment after UC claim will be scrapped b) For those with existing HB/LHA claims, there will be a two week overlap of existing HB/LHA payments after the UC claim date (not clear if repayable and if so […]
The Tribunal unleashed
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v Carmichael and Sefton BC (HB) [2017] UKUT 0174 (AAC) Oh my. This was the DWP’s appeal to the Upper Tribunal of the First Tier Tribunal’s decision on the Carmichael’s bedroom tax appeal (our report here). It was initially surprising that the DWP sought to pursue this appeal, […]
Water and youth
Not, I hasten to make clear, a Daily Mail style piece on the health giving properties of drinking expensive water, but a couple of quick notes. First, a Southwark rent arrears possession case, demonstrating that the effects of Jones v London Borough of Southwark [2016] EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report) rumble on in Southwark, despite the […]
Discretionary Housing Payments and long term awards
R (on the application of Halvai) v Hammersmith and Fulham LBC (2017) QBD (Admin) (Sara Cockerill QC) 09/03/2017 (Only on lawtel as an extempore judgment, as far as I can see) (Copy of the full judgment now here) This was a judicial review of H&F’s refusal of Discretionary Housing Payments to Ms H. Ms H […]
More on housing costs for those under 22.
Following on from my rantlette on Saturday, some further light (and indeed fog) has been shed on the Govt proposals to remove the housing costs element of universal credit from those under 22 and how it is envisaged to work. John Healey MP, Shadow Housing Minister tabled an urgent question in the Commons today (Tuesday). […]
With and without foundation – Bedroom tax in Supreme Court
MA & Ors, R (on the application of) v The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2016] UKSC 58 R (on the application of Carmichael and Rourke) (formerly known as MA and others) (Appellants) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Respondent) R (on the application of Daly and others) (formerly known as […]
Misc on taxes – council and bedroom
Some notes on council tax liability and bedroom tax Upper Tribunal cases. Council tax – how do you go about setting aside and/or appealing a council tax liability order? It turns out to be far from straightforward (you might already have known this. I didn’t!). In Okon v London Borough Of Lewisham [2016] EWHC 864 (Ch) […]
Foxtons declare war on the homeless
The London Evening Standard has a story which is simultaneously unsurprising yet startling in its blatancy. A landlord had entered an agreement to let the property through CityWest Homes – Westminster Council’s housing entity. This was the private letting arm of CityWest. As I have been informed, in this instance the proposed CityWest tenant would not […]
