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NEWS AND POLICY UPDATE:
Winter 04

This briefing is aimed at the providers and commissioners of housing related services for older and disabled people

HOUSING

  • HOUSING BILL INCLUDED IN THE QUEEN'S SPEECH
    The Housing Bill will be included in the next session of Parliament. Some of the major changes that will result from this are:

    • Replacement of the Fitness Standard with the Health and Safety Ratings System
    • Extension of Disabled Facilities Grants to people who live in mobile homes
    • Greater protection for tenants who live in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
    • Changes to Right to Buy to prevent profiteering
    • Home Information Pack system which aims to improve house purchase transactions

  • HOME OWNERSHIP TASK FORCE PUBLISHES REPORT
    As part of the Sustainable Communities Plan, a Task Force was charged with looking at how people can be helped into sustainable owner occupation. The resulting report, 'A Home of My Own', has now been published with wide ranging recommendations for action to help people become owner occupiers, some of which have already been incorporated into the Housing Bill.

    The report includes the more radical suggestions of a tenure neutral housing tax credit to help all low income households with their housing costs, and a major expansion of shared homeownership partly via allowing all social housing tenants to buy a share of their home. Disappointingly, there is limited reference to the issue of the sustainability of owner occupation amongst lower income households, including the problem of affording home maintenance, particularly after retirement. Report available from Housing Corporation website www.housingcorp.gov.uk

  • IMPLEMENTING NEW POWERS FOR PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSING RENEWAL
    The first report from a two year study of the implementation of the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 has been published. Funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Welsh Assembly Government, the study is tracking the impact of the order on local authority private sector housing renewal strategies and practice. It will increasingly seek to identify and disseminate good practice.

    This first report looks at activities by local authorities in the run up to the July 03 deadline. It reports that most authorities appear at least to be looking at making their funds go further through loan based products, but neither the products nor the intermediary financial vehicles necessary to deliver them are, for the most part, as yet in place. Report available from: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/
    page/odpm_house_025468.hcsp

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NEWS

  • SURPRISE EXTRA £100M FOR OLDER PEOPLE'S SERVICES
    The government has announced the amount of money that each council will receive next year and there is an unexpected extra £100m (for one year only) for older people's services. This money is for one year only and is aimed to enable councils to develop services which are community based and which promote older people's independence. It will be allocated via the Access and Systems Capacity Grant. With regard to the general level of the settlement, the average increase in the allocation to councils is 6.5%. Details at www.doh.gov.uk/ssi/socialcareolderpple.htm.

    This money is in addition to the £100m allocated to social services to meet needs arising from the new system of recharging where there is a delayed discharge of an older person from hospital.

  • LOW INCOME ADULTS FAR MORE LIKELY TO BECOME DISABLED
    Adults whose incomes are in the lowest fifth of the population are two and a half times more likely to become disabled in any one year than those in the top fifth. This is one of the findings from a new study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 'Being and becoming: social exclusion and the onset of disability'. (www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/n23.asp). The study also found that;

    • People with lower educational qualifications are more likely to become disabled than those with higher qualifications
    • The risk of disability is greater for those adults who are out of work or in low status jobs such as machine and plant operators, sales or 'personal and protective services' (a category that includes security, catering, healthcare and childcare).

  • DRAFT DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION BILL ANNOUNCED
    This Bill will amend the existing Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) bringing in a wide range of measures. These include a new positive duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, require those who manage or let premises to make reasonable adjustments to their policies and practices for disabled tenants and end the exemption of the use of transport vehicles from the DDA. See www.dwp.gov.uk

  • SUPPORTING PEOPLE: EXTRA MONEY LINKED TO REVIEW
    In October Government announced an extra £400m funding to Supporting People in England for 2003-4. However, this was linked to an independent review of the whole system, possibly in response to concerns over the cost of the programme which has far exceeded original estimates. Some of the main aspects of the review are: Whether SP is meeting its original objectives, LA cost/ service variations, use of savings from other budgets since transfer to SP. The review is taking place rapidly; the questionnaire to councils issued in late November had only an 11 day deadline.

  • DEPT OF HEALTH GUIDE TO COMMISSIONING GOOD SERVICES FOR FALLS PREVENTION
    A copy of this guide has been sent out to every PCT and local authority. Its aim is to provide guidance for service commissioners to implement the National Service Framework for Older People Standard 6 Falls Prevention. It includes useful facts and figures about falls and many useful references to evidence, models and related information. Available from: www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeople/news.htm

  • RULE CHANGE ON THE HORIZON TO ENABLE RSLs TO IMPROVE HOSPITAL DISCHARGE
    The funding rules which have made it difficult for RSLs to provide short term supported accommodation for people waiting to leave hospital are to be changed. ODPM are expected to release a consultation paper before Christmas that should lead 'relatively quickly' to a statutory instrument. This change could help older people to move to extra care or sheltered housing units in order to receive intermediate care and support before moving back to living independently in their own homes.

  • TACKLING HEATH INEQUALITIES: A COMPENDIUM
    The Health Development Agency has published a Compendium featuring local and community projects across England that are tackling health inequalities. As well as descriptive snapshots of local activities it provides contact details to encourage people to share ideas. It clearly shows that tackling health inequalities is not just an issue for the health sector, but covers a wide range of areas including housing, transport and education. Care & Repair England's work on Healthy Homes, Healthier Lives and the contribution of HIAs to this issue is one of the models featured. Copy available from www.hda.nhs.uk or www.renewal.net or via 08701 214194 (ISBN 1-84279-153-2).

MONEY

  • HOUSING BENEFIT - THE BEGINNING OF THE END?
    Housing Benefit is being replaced by a fixed, flat rate 'Local Housing Allowance' paid directly to private sector tenants (rather than being paid directly to the landlord) in 9 trial areas. This 2 year pilot is a first step to meet government's long term aim of radically reforming the whole housing benefit system.

  • NEW FORM FOR ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE
    In October 03 the Department of Works and Pensions introduced a new claim for Attendance Allowance which more than halves the number of questions and pages. Whilst this has the benefit of making the form faster to complete, concerns have been expressed by welfare benefits advisers that it might make it more difficult for applicants to adequately show that they meet the criteria for the benefit. It may be more important than ever that advisers fully understand the grounds of assessment and help people to complete the form.

  • FINDING OUT ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING - NEW WEBSITE
    A new free access website containing the latest information on the availability of funding from 4 central government departments has been launched.

    The site enables organisations to make searches by category and register for an email alert to new funding announcements. In the new year links to enable online applications will be added. See www.governmentfunding.org.uk

  • futurebuilders FUND
    At the time of writing there was still no announcement about how to apply for this funding, even though some of the £125m fund (aimed at assisting the voluntary and community sector to deliver public services) was due to come on stream in 2003. Keep checking www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

NEWS

  • CHARITY LAW CHANGES: BILL INCLUDED IN NEXT YEAR's PARLIAMENTARY PROGRAMME
    The long awaited bill from the Home Office to bring about the biggest reform of charity law for decades has finally emerged. Welcome news for the housing world is the inclusion of provision of social housing and social and community advancement as one of the 12 new definitions for charities. Keep track of progress on www.homeoffice.gov.uk

  • EQUITY RELEASE REPORT
    'Ready, steady but not quite go' examines the equity release products available for older people and calls for a better understanding of people's circumstances in order to refine such products to better match the needs and requirements of potential customers. Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and obtainable from www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/details.asp?pulbID=565

  • PART M OF BUILDING REGULATIONS - NEW SI AND GUIDANCE CIRCULAR ISSUED
    Building (Amendment) Regulations (SI 2003/2692) were made in October 03 (which will come into force in May 04), and new Circular was issued (ODPM Circ 11/2003) to explain the changes. Both can be viewed on www.odpm.gov.uk.

  • HOUSING INFORMATION WEBSITE LAUNCHED
    'Housing Options Online' aims to enable older and disabled people make informed decisions about their housing and also provide information to housing advisers. The new site, co-ordinated by the Elderly Accommodation Counsel, includes an independent, comprehensive resource about all aspects of housing, support and care options available to older people. See www.HousingCare.org.

  • NEW DIRECTORY OF HOUSING ADVICE AND INFORMATION SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE
    This guide summarises what sources of local housing advice and help is available to older people across England. Through a quick reference A-Z table it explains what sort of help is available from which source, providing related contact details and website links. A free copy of the guide can be ordered from Help the Aged 020 7239 1946 or email jenny.havis@helptheaged.org.uk.

  • VIEWS SOUGHT ON RADICAL RETHINK OF HOUSING, MONEY AND CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE
    The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have established a high powered Task Group to undertake a radical review of how we think about and plan for an ageing population. A discussion paper has been issued on the topic 'Housing, Money and Care' and views are invited on this by 31st December. To facilitate responses there is a structured reply form. Both full report, summary and form are available from www.jrf.org.uk/knowlede/consultation/taskgroup/asp

    This News and Policy Update is produced by:
    Care & Repair England 3rd Floor, Bridgford House, Pavilion Road, West Bridgford NOTTINGHAM NG2 5GJ Tel: 0115 9821527 Fax:0115 9821529
    E.mail:info@careandrepair-england.org.uk
    www.careandrepair-england.org.uk

    Every effort has been made to ensure the information above is correct. However, Care & Repair England cannot accept any responsibility for errors and omissions.