SFHA Welcomes Lords’ Snub to Coalition Government on Welfare Reform Bill

A landmark vote in the Lords on the Welfare Reform Bill last night (Wednesday 14th December) has been greeted by the SFHA as a "small victory for fairness".

The Lords voted by 258 to 190 to amend the Government's plans to cut Housing Benefit for tenants who are deemed to be living in a property that's too big, or "under-occupying".

Welcoming the vote, SFHA Chief Executive Dr Mary Taylor said:

"This vote gives all Scottish housing associations and their tenants renewed hope of seeing a fairer outcome from the Welfare Reform Bill than we had feared. We congratulate those Lords who voted in support of Lord Best's amendment. We have been campaigning hard to bring this issue to the attention of Lords at the Report stage. "

But she urged caution for landlords and tenants not to become complacent:

"Make no mistake, there is a battle ahead when this Bill returns to the Commons, as this amendment could be overturned. However, the SFHA urges MPs to note the depth of the concerns of the Lords , as well as a wide range of other organisations. We urge the UK Government to respect and retain the amendments agreed in the Lords.

"We must carry on the battle for fairness until the very last. We call upon all MPs to note the wisdom of the Lords' majority vote, but we call upon all concerned parties to back our Housing Benefits campaign."

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For further information, contact Claire Munro on t: 0141 567 6224 m: 07771926778 or e: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Visit our website at www.sfha.co.uk
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NOTES:

1) A copy of the letter sent to Scottish Lords by the SFHA is available on our website HERE

2) Read the SFHA's research on the impacts of the proposed changes to Housing Benefit here:
http://www.sfha.co.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,82/gid,1288/task,doc_download/

3) For more on the SFHA's Housing Benefits campaign, which is aiming to achieve changes to the proposed Welfare Reform Bill, click HERE

4) The SFHA was established in 1975 and has around 170 members providing affordable housing and wider community services in Scotland, as well as a further 200 commercial members. The SFHA is owned by its membership and exists to support the work of housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland by providing services, advice and good practice guidance.

5) The SFHA is the voice of the principal builders and managers of new affordable housing for rent in Scotland. Housing Associations own and manage around 40% of the country's affordable rented housing stock, over a quarter of a million homes across Scotland.

6) Housing associations and co-operatives are not-for-profit bodies regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator.

 

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