HOUSING BENEFIT & COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT REFORM

The Implications for Claimants and Local Authority Benefit Services

28th January 2011

Local Government House, Smith Square, Westminster, SW1

The forthcoming reforms of housing and council tax benefit will see the most significant changes since the introduction of these benefits. The reforms will be introduced over a period of time; restrictions on rent and withdrawal of benefit from the long term unemployed are imminent. The introduction of universal credit and discretionary council tax rebates will take place in a few years time. These changes have wide ranging implications for both claimants and the local authority - specifically for the managers responsible for managing the changes.

This conference examines the reforms to council tax benefit and housing benefit with specific emphasis on the implications for managers of housing benefit, council tax benefit and revenues services. These include the impact on customer services, deployment of human and other resources and the strategic management of local authority benefit services.
 

The aims of the conference are:

• To provide an up-to-date assessment of housing and council tax benefit reform and the implications for claimants and local authority services.

• To identify the key strategic management issues for local authority benefit managers as a result of welfare benefit reform.

Who Should Attend:

• Local Authority Elected Members

• Local Authority Chief Executives

• Housing Benefit Managers

• Council Tax Benefit Managers

• Housing Aid Advisors

• Revenue Managers

Speakers Include:

• Councillor Phillipa Roe, Cabinet Member for Housing, Westminster City Council

• Mike Heiser, Senior Policy Consultant, The Local Government Association (LGA)

• Paul Howarth, Head of Housing Benefits Strategy Division, Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)

• Alex Fenton, Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research

• Steve Carey, Benefits Manager, Leeds City Council

• Peter de la Mothe, HBinfo

• Nigel Blair, Product Director, Northgate Public Services

• Kate Webb, Policy Officer, Shelter