Changes in housing benefit payments will take effect in April 2012. The universal credit will be introduced in October 2013. Both will have a significant effect on your residents. Our seminar will explore how you can prepare for these changes. In addition, we will consider the wider changes to the social fund, the disability living allowance (DLA) and the employment and support allowance.
The seminar will assess the probable impact of these changes on the uptake of council services and your expenditure plans. We will examine whether housing benefit reforms will lead to significant internal migration as predicted by some local authorities and how reforms could affect the local housing market. We will explore how the restrictions in eligibility for the DLA, ESA and loans from the social fund might affect the resilience of citizens.
Our speakers will discuss these issues and the evidence from abroad, where similar measures have been trialled, to seek to develop some practical steps your council can adopt in preparation for the introduction of these major reforms. Attendees will be able to share best practice and explore how to manage these changes to achieve the best results for citizens.
