Launch of "The Social Housing, Affordable Rents & Elimination of Homelessness Bill" 

Monday 16 December 2019, 14:00 – 17:00, Convocation Hall,
Church House, Deans Yard, Westminster. SW1P 3NZ
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TAP's Bill enables urgent and immediate action by national & local government.

Homeless people dieing on the streets is preventable

Next government must link affordable rents to adequate incomes. Not to unaffordable 80% of high market rents which inevitably create debt, hunger, homlessness & ill health.

https://www.standard.co.uk/…/the-homeless-fund-nearly-150-p…

TAP is working with and for homeless families in temporary accommodation  They have been there for up to and over ten years. They cannot wait another ten years while enough truly affordable housing is built; even one more year is too long
 

REGISTER

a seminar sponsored by

Taxpayers Against Poverty

partnered with Compassion in Politics

Chaired by Debbie Abrahams (MP)

PROGRAMME

INTRODUCTION

Rev Paul Nicolson - "Why this seminar now?"
 

THE PROBLEMS

The Archbishop of York was right to highlight the uncertainty for an estimated 8.4 million people in England who, according to the National Housing Federation, “are living in an unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable home”. (A decent day’s pay for a decent day’s work – why are we still waiting for this?). 

Council house rents were used in the research into minimum income standards, which as Chair of Zacchaeus 2000 Trust I commissioned from the Family Budget Unit (see page 68) in 1998. Its Minimum Income Standards underpinned the launch of the London Living Wage in 2001. Since then two million council houses have been lost to the voracious UK housing market. The 2019 Minimum Income Standards Research research underpinning the latest living wage (see page7) also uses council house rents when many to whom it is paid are housed in the private sector paying high market rents.

The high private sector rents reduce the day to day value of the real living wage by using the income needed for food, fuel, clothes, transport and other necessitiies.  

The principled employers paying the real living wage ought now to go another mile for their employees and ask the next government to stop high market rents eroding the minimum income, in the research for the real living wage, needed for food, fuels, clothes, transport and other necessities. It is worse for employees receiving the lower national minimum wage and the spurious national living wage. 

A STATUTORY DEFINITION OF AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION 

A statutory definition of affordable housing ought to be introduced. "Accommodation is unaffordable if after paying the rent, income and council taxes the tenant’s income (together with that of other occupiers of the property) falls below a reasonable minimum having regard to the health and well-being of the tenant.  

The House of Commons Library has a good brief. "...the introduction in 2011 of social sector development with rents of up to 80% of market rents has, according to some, undermined the ability of even the social sector to supply housing that is truly affordable". 80% of a market rent is widely recognised to be unaffirdable.  We strongly recommend affordable housing is linked to income and not to the market. 

In a letter to the Tablet "Homeless and Hungry"  published  on Friday 15th Nivember  I noted that Philomena Cullen, of CPAG had asked  the right question for the Christian Churches to consider. "Might the reality of hunger in the UK be signalling structural problems in society that should be a priority for the Churches?" The answer is yes and the place to start is with the homeless, who are being deprived of land by national and international speculators using it for investment and not for homes. There are over 22,000 empty homes in London.

Minimum Income Standards were supported by motions at the General Synod, Methodist Conference and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland others in 2001. They have never been rescinded.  

HOMELESS FAMILIES

SHREDDED BENEFITS

There are related issues. Bedroom Tax, Benefit Cap and Local Housing Allowance all cut housing benefit. 290 out of 326 councils in England have cut the council tax support scheme.Therefore the single adult benefit of £73.10pw JSA, which equates to £317pm Universal Credit, is paying rent and council tax (couple's £114.85). Increases were frozen at 1% from April 2011 to April 2015 when increases were stopped until April 2010. It has been losing value since 1979 . Because it is so inadequate the Children's benefits are paying rent and council tax. Debt, hunger, homelessness and ill health are inevitable.

The council tax is enforced against £73.10 a week JSA (Which equates to £317 a month Universal Credit) by the councils though the magistrates courts and the bailiffs. Court costs of up to £140 and bailiffs fees of up to £420 are added to the arrears. That is an intolerable burden. In Haringey 11,000 benefit claimants a year were summoned to the magistrates court  from April 2013 until the council relented in April 2019 after a six year campaign by Taxpayers Against Poverty

BENEFIT SANCTIONS RENT, COUNCIL TAX AND TV LICENCE FINES - AND THE BAILIFFS.