The absence of proposals to withhold housing benefit from antisocial tenants from last week's Queen's Speech has boosted speculation that the government is to put the idea on the back burner.
As expected, the outline of the government's Antisocial Behaviour Bill made mention of plans to make the eviction of antisocial tenants easier and extend the use of fixed-penalty notices.

No reference, however, was made of resurrecting Labour MP Frank Field's controversial private members bill under which nuisance neighbours would face losing their housing benefit.

Field's bill is understood to have gained widespread support within government, despite being withdrawn after running out of parliamentary time in the summer.

Government endorsement of the idea for the year ahead had appeared inevitable after remarks by prime minister Tony Blair at the Labour Party conference in October. In his address, he said: "Antisocial tenants and their antisocial landlords who make money out of housing benefit, while making life hell for the community, should lose their right to it."

Some within the housing sector now believe that the idea may have been shelved after the government decided it might attract too much opposition and could interfere with benefit reforms.

Sam Lister, policy officer with the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: "With the government planning what it describes as the most radical overhaul of the housing benefit system since it was introduced, they may have decided to put any more changes on hold."

Lister said resistance to such proposals was as strong as ever – when the bill was first mooted, major housing groups said it would increase homelessness.

Meanwhile, Louise Casey, currently director of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's homelessness directorate, is to head the government's new antisocial behaviour unit.

The unit, to be composed of experts from various government departments, is expected to take a lead role in drawing up the Antisocial Behaviour Bill by mid-February next year.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said the unit had yet to decide what would be included in the bill, but hinted that it could feature antisocial behaviour courts that would allow such offences to be punished by either criminal, civil or restorative sentences.

On the question of suspending the housing benefit of antisocial tenants, the Home Office spokesperson said: "[The government] considered [the bill] required considerable reworking. We believe it would be a good a deterrent and it is something that needs to be explored further."

Source

Housing Today