Government plans to dock housing benefit from antisocial tenants have been condemned as "the worst form of knee-jerk reaction" by the Local Government Association.
The proposals were made by the Department for Work and Pensions in a consultation paper published in May (HT 23 May, page 9).

All four parties on the LGA's housing executive opposed the plans, calling them "deeply, flawed, wrong in principle and unworkable in practice".

The executive's chair, Richard Kemp, said the system discriminated against tenants even though owner-occupiers could also be guilty of poor behaviour. He also said the plans could lead to troublemakers becoming concentrated in particular areas and would exacerbate social exclusion and homelessness.

A spokeswoman for the DWP said: "The government welcomes all responses to the consultation, including that of the LGA."

The consultation ends on 12 August.

  • A Northumberland council is bringing in a hit squad to clear its housing benefit backlog after a damning inspection report.

    Castle Morpeth council is bringing in extra permanent benefits staff, including a manager, and a team of contractors to clear its claims backlog its services were deemed substandard.

    • Source

    Housing Today