Housing Services

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INTRODUCTION OF SERVICES CHARGES

SERVICE CHARGES

WELFARE REFORMS

WELFARE REFORMS

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

GET INVOLVED

AUTUMN 2015

Service charges to be introduced for council flats and sheltered schemes

Tenants living in Tamworth Borough Council properties with communal areas, as well as those insheltered accommodation, will have to pay a weekly service charge from 4 April 2016.

Currently, the cost of cleaning, electricity and water in communal areas is paid for through theHousing Revenue Account.

This means, in effect, that all tenant-related income, including rents, subsidises these serviceswhen the majority of tenants do not receive them.

Following a decision by Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday July 9, residents in council-owned blocks of flats and sheltered schemes will be asked to pay aweekly service charge from April 2016 to cover the cost of those services. This ensures that those who benefit from the communal services pay for them.

The cost to a household living in general accommodation will be around £7 per week, while forthose in sheltered schemes, it will be around £11. The service charge will be collected as partof the weekly rent and will be included in the rent statement.

The introduction of service charges will raise around £435,000 per year, which will be investedin improving the housing services.

The introduction of service charges will affect a total of 1,013 tenanted households in Tamworth– 648 in general needs accommodation and 365 in sheltered schemes.

Of those affected tenants, around 63% in general needs and 88% in sheltered accommodationwill have the service charge fully covered by Housing Benefit. This equates to fewer than 300 tenants having to pay extra.

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All those tenants who will have to pay the new service charge are being supported by Tamworth BoroughCouncil housing staff. Help includes targeted welfare advice to check if they qualify for benefit, ability tovary payment arrangements and help from the Landlord Hardship Fund in extreme cases. There is also afree phone help number 0800 183 0454 which people can ring to answer any individual concerns.

Drop-in sessions have also been arranged to allow tenants and those with concerns to come along andspeak to council staff directly. All the sessions are being held at the High Rise Social Club on theRiverside estate, off Lichfield Street. The dates of the drop-ins are:

l Tuesday August 25, 4pm to 7pml Friday August 28, 10am to 2pml Saturday August 29, 10am to 12noon

WELFARE REFORMS

How does the Government’s Summer Budget affect you?

Many of the changes to the welfare system will be phased in, with the first changes taking place in April 2016. The full details of the changes are still to be confirmed. The key announcements are:

Reduction in the benefit capThe benefit cap is being reduced from £500 to £385 per week for couples with or without children and singleparents with children who live with them. For single adults without children or those who have children whodo not live with them, the benefit cap will be reduced from £350 to £258. Those already affected by thebenefit cap will find their benefits reduced further, with less help towards their housing costs.

Tax Credits and Universal Credit child element limited to two childrenFor children born after April 2017, Tax Credits and Universal Credits will only be paid for the first twochildren. There will be no payments for a third child or subsequent children. Multiple births will beexempt. This will also apply to families who make new claims for Universal Credit after April 2017.

Tax Credit Family ElementThe Family Element in Tax Credits will not be available for those starting a family after April 2017.Similarly the first child premium in Universal Credit will not available for new claims.

Removal of Housing Support for benefit claimants aged 18 to 21 yearsFrom April 2017, Housing Support for 18 to 21-year-olds who are out of work making new claims inUniversal Credit will not receive help towards their housing costs. Some exemptions are parents,vulnerable groups and those who are not able to live with parents - for example those claimants whohave been in care.

Housing Benefit will only be backdated up to four weeksFrom April 2016, Housing Benefit will only be backdated up to four weeks before a claim is made.

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Working age benefits to be frozenWorking age benefits such as Tax Credits, Child Benefit and Local Housing Allowances are to be frozenfor the next four years.

Reduction in Universal Credit paymentsFrom April 2016, the amount you can earn before your Universal Credit payment is reduced will be alower amount and this also applies to Tax Credits.

Employment Support Allowance payments (ESA) to be reducedESA claimants who are in the work-related activity group will be paid the same amount as JobseekersAllowance (JSA) from April 2017. This change does not apply to those ESA claimants who receive thesupport element.

Mothers returning to workMothers, including single mothers who are claiming Universal Credit, will be expected to look for workwhen their youngest child turns three.

Increase in National Living WageThe National Living wage for workers aged 25 years and over will be increased to £7.20 per hour fromApril 2016 with the intention to increase it to £9.00 per hour by 2020.

We can help you through these changes

These are just brief details of the announcements. If you have any queries or concerns on how thesechanges may affect you or if you find you are experiencing difficulties in budgeting to pay your rent andother bills, please contact the Tenancy Sustainment team on 01827 709514. The Tenancy Sustainmentteam and their partnering agencies can offer you advice and assistance with ensuring you are receivingthe right amount of benefits, budgeting, reducing heating costs, debt advice and also provide informationon training courses and jobs.

The new Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act came into force on October 20 2014. One of the new powers is the Absolute Ground for Possession.This new power speeds up the process for evicting those who carry out the mostserious anti-social behaviour. 

To make sure that we are fair and proportionate in our response, an eviction consultation protocol hasbeen introduced. This means that we will consult with all partner agencies involved in a case beforeapplying for possession proceedings. 

1 The Absolute Ground for Possession is a new mandatory ground introduced where a tenant ormember of their household or visitor has met one of the following conditions:

2 Convicted of a serious criminal offence

3 Found by a court to have breached a civil injunction

4 Convicted for breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

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4 OPEN HOUSE – AUTUMN 2015 Designed and Produced by Tamworth Borough Council

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED…Getting involved is a great way to know that you are contributing to and improvingthe services you receive and your voice can empower you and other tenants toimprove the council’s performance and satisfaction in areas that matter to you.

Everybody has busy lives these days but selecting the way you get involved from a wide range of optionscould fit into your lifestyle and put you at the heart of decision making. It doesn’t have to be all aboutattending meetings, it can be as active as completing a survey once a year or popping along to one of ourconsultation events.

We believe in working together with tenants in a real partnership to improve the service we offer. If you areinterested please contact the Tenant Regulation and Involvement team on 01827 709374 or emailtenantparticipation@tamworth.gov.uk

Tamworth Borough Council Marmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7BZ.Enquiries: (01827) 709709 Main Fax: (01827) 709271

Landlord Services obtained its first newCivil Injunction under the new legislationfollowing reports of drunken anddangerous behaviour by three occupantsof a property in Bolehall.

At the return hearing, none of thedefendants attended and the court granteda 12-month injunction with a power ofarrest against two of the offenders.  Underthe new legislation, if this injunction isbreached, Tamworth Borough Council canapply to the court for outright possessionof the property.

The ASB, Crime & Policing Act 2014 introduced Community Protection Notices which can be usedby a number of agencies for a whole range of anti-social behaviours.  As we continue to focus ontenancy sustainment, these Notices will set out what is unacceptable behaviour and what needs tobe done to address it. 

If this is ignored, Tamworth Borough Council may serve a Fixed Penalty Notice up to £100.  Pleasesee our Community Protection Notice Factsheet which can be found on our ASB Zone.

In the year to March 2015, LandlordServices received 296 complaints,compared to 584 the year before. That is areduction of almost 50%.  On top of this,we resolved 99% of all cases last yearcompared to 70% the year before.

The costs of managing cases were addedto the ASB case management system andshowed that each case managed in thelast year cost an average of around £80,including the costs of legal actions.

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5 Convicted for breach of a Noise Abatement Notice, or

6 Property has been closed under a Closure Order

The new legislation also enables us to apply for injunctions against minors aged between 10 and 17.