Government's benefit changes
Welcome to the Your Homes Newcastle guide to the government's
benefit changes (also known as welfare reform).
The government is making some major changes to the current
benefit system which are likely to affect a large number of YHN
tenants.
We want to make sure we provide you with as
much information as possible about what the changes are and how
they could affect you, so that you can prepare for them taking
place. We will also tell you about any help and support we can
offer.
Use the links below to find out about the
different benefit changes.
If you need any other general advice and
support, visit the
Advice and Support section of our website or contact your
Community
Housing Office.
The
Welfare Rights section of Newcastle City Council’s website also
has some useful advice and contact details for other services that
can help.
From April 2013 any household that the
government says has more bedrooms than they need, will receive less
Housing Benefit.
From October 2013 a number of benefits that
are currently paid separately will be brought together into one
payment called Universal Credit.
The government intends to place a ‘cap’
on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can
receive.
Personal Independence Payments are replacing Disability Living
Allowance from April 2013.
From April 2013, the Social Fund, run by the Department of Work
and Pensions (DWP), will come to an end. Find out how Newcastle
City Council's new scheme will work.
The third reduction in Housing Benefit, for tenants who have a
non-dependant person living with them, takes effect from 1 April
2013.
Newcastle City Council have developed their own Council Tax
Support Scheme. All people of working age will now have to pay
something towards their Council Tax before receiving any
support.
We have developed some useful information and links to other
websites and documents to help point you in the right direction if
you need help to manage your money or are struggling with the
benefit changes.
Benefit bus schedule
We are taking our Talk to Us bus out aroud our estates to talk
to customers about the changes to the benefit system. We will be
parking it at various locations across the city throughout October,
November and December so follow the link to our events page below
and find out when our bus is near you!
Weighing up the Benefits
In June 2012 we produced a booklet which
brings together information on all the major benefit changes called
“Weighing up the Benefits”. The booklet went out with our Homes
& People newsletter, but if you didn’t get a copy or you can’t
find it, you can 
download a copy here:
Other useful links