The document summarizes a presentation about how Universal Credit affects Council Tax Reduction Schemes. The presentation discusses trends in Council Tax reduction since 2013, how Universal Credit impacts schemes and objectives. It also outlines Wolverhampton City Council's scheme and four approaches to modeling scheme changes. The presentation aims to help councils understand how to design schemes that align with Universal Credit while meeting objectives like cost reduction and work incentives.
Lessons learned: our year modelling Council Tax Reduction SchemesPolicy in Practice
In this webinar Policy in Practice gave a review of the 150 or so council tax reduction (CTR) support schemes we modelled for local authority clients in 2019. Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy, and Megan Mclean, Policy and Operations Analyst, recapped on highlights from our analysis, discussed trends we've identified and considered what this means for local authorities in 2020.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Webinar: How to future proof your Council Tax Reduction Scheme for Universal ...Policy in Practice
As Universal Credit is implemented, it's crunch time for local authorities. Now is the time to make bold changes to council tax support schemes so the most vulnerable people are protected from poverty, whatever Universal Credit means for them. Yet knowing who those people are is a huge challenge.
Policy in Practice has worked with 22 councils to model options for Council Tax Reduction Schemes, taking into account the impact of Universal Credit on households. These detailed, evidence based assessments are used by officers and members to make informed policy decisions, as well as hold consultations with stakeholders.
View these slides to learn:
- how to model the impact of Universal Credit in your CTR scheme
- what common scheme options other councils consider
- how local priorities can be supported within budget
- why it's important to change your CTR scheme in the lead up to Universal Credit roll out
For more information please contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Changing your Council Tax Support Scheme: what are others doing ?Policy in Practice
Listen back to hear guest speaker Clive Jones, Luton Borough Council, talking about why modelling the impacts of different options is the key to designing new CTRS schemes and the importance of member involvement.
Zoe Charlesworth gives Universal Credit analysis updates and Juan Alvarez Vilanova outlines the 4 different approaches to modelling that we take.
For more information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk, visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
IRRV2015 - Progress on Welfare Reform by Deven GhelaniPolicy in Practice
The IRRV Annual Conference 2015 featured this presentation by Deven Ghelani about Progress on Welfare Reform.
Understanding the impact of cumulative and future welfare reforms on individual residents was at the heart of Deven's talk.
Stark insights from welfare reform impact analysis work done with Leeds City Council and Birmingham City Council were shared.
Deven outlined how specific welfare reforms have different impacts and what these mean to individual residents.
Policy makers in local authorities need to make sure that their policies are appropriate to local needs. Yet, without the insights that councils like Leeds and Birmingham have secured, the risk is that support programmes are blanket and wasteful, not targeted and effective.
This 2014 edition of the OECD Pensions Outlook examines the ever-changing pensions landscape. It looks at pension reform, the role of private pensions and retirement savings. Population ageing and longevity risk is examined as are the means of increasing coverage and providing automatic enrolment. This presentation by Pablo Antolin contains the highlights of main findings.
Find the book and more information about OECD work in this domain at http://oe.cd/Ov
This presentation reproduces highlights from the 2015 OECD Review of Pension Systems in Mexico. The review was launched in Mexico City in the presence of Minister Luis Videgaray Caso, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Carlos Ramirez Fuentes, President of CONSAR (National Commission for the Pension System). http://www.oecd.org/pensions/oecd-review-pension-systems-mexico.htm
The 2016 OECD Pensions Outlook launches on 5 December. This flyer describes what is in the publication and the complementary publication "Life Annuity Products and their Guarantees". Find out more at http://www.oecd.org/pensions/oecd-pensions-outlook.htm
Lessons learned: our year modelling Council Tax Reduction SchemesPolicy in Practice
In this webinar Policy in Practice gave a review of the 150 or so council tax reduction (CTR) support schemes we modelled for local authority clients in 2019. Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy, and Megan Mclean, Policy and Operations Analyst, recapped on highlights from our analysis, discussed trends we've identified and considered what this means for local authorities in 2020.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Webinar: How to future proof your Council Tax Reduction Scheme for Universal ...Policy in Practice
As Universal Credit is implemented, it's crunch time for local authorities. Now is the time to make bold changes to council tax support schemes so the most vulnerable people are protected from poverty, whatever Universal Credit means for them. Yet knowing who those people are is a huge challenge.
Policy in Practice has worked with 22 councils to model options for Council Tax Reduction Schemes, taking into account the impact of Universal Credit on households. These detailed, evidence based assessments are used by officers and members to make informed policy decisions, as well as hold consultations with stakeholders.
View these slides to learn:
- how to model the impact of Universal Credit in your CTR scheme
- what common scheme options other councils consider
- how local priorities can be supported within budget
- why it's important to change your CTR scheme in the lead up to Universal Credit roll out
For more information please contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Changing your Council Tax Support Scheme: what are others doing ?Policy in Practice
Listen back to hear guest speaker Clive Jones, Luton Borough Council, talking about why modelling the impacts of different options is the key to designing new CTRS schemes and the importance of member involvement.
Zoe Charlesworth gives Universal Credit analysis updates and Juan Alvarez Vilanova outlines the 4 different approaches to modelling that we take.
For more information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk, visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
IRRV2015 - Progress on Welfare Reform by Deven GhelaniPolicy in Practice
The IRRV Annual Conference 2015 featured this presentation by Deven Ghelani about Progress on Welfare Reform.
Understanding the impact of cumulative and future welfare reforms on individual residents was at the heart of Deven's talk.
Stark insights from welfare reform impact analysis work done with Leeds City Council and Birmingham City Council were shared.
Deven outlined how specific welfare reforms have different impacts and what these mean to individual residents.
Policy makers in local authorities need to make sure that their policies are appropriate to local needs. Yet, without the insights that councils like Leeds and Birmingham have secured, the risk is that support programmes are blanket and wasteful, not targeted and effective.
This 2014 edition of the OECD Pensions Outlook examines the ever-changing pensions landscape. It looks at pension reform, the role of private pensions and retirement savings. Population ageing and longevity risk is examined as are the means of increasing coverage and providing automatic enrolment. This presentation by Pablo Antolin contains the highlights of main findings.
Find the book and more information about OECD work in this domain at http://oe.cd/Ov
This presentation reproduces highlights from the 2015 OECD Review of Pension Systems in Mexico. The review was launched in Mexico City in the presence of Minister Luis Videgaray Caso, Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Carlos Ramirez Fuentes, President of CONSAR (National Commission for the Pension System). http://www.oecd.org/pensions/oecd-review-pension-systems-mexico.htm
The 2016 OECD Pensions Outlook launches on 5 December. This flyer describes what is in the publication and the complementary publication "Life Annuity Products and their Guarantees". Find out more at http://www.oecd.org/pensions/oecd-pensions-outlook.htm
The dynamics of social assistance benefit receiptOECD
Comparative evidence on the receipt of minimum-income benefits discussion of empirical assessment of state dependence / "scarring effects" in benefit receipt
Ageing: Fiscal implications and policy responses -- Mirko Lichetta, United Ki...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Mirko Lichetta, United Kingdom, at the 6th Meeting of the Joint OECD DELSA-GOV Network on Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems, held at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris, on 18-19 September 2017
Is your post COVID-19 Council Tax Support Scheme sustainable?Policy in Practice
The £500 million Hardship Fund allows councils to give extra support to help people affected by Coronavirus. Councils are expected to use this welcome funding to reduce the council tax bills of working-age people who are already receiving council tax support, by £150 in 2020/21.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth presented new nationwide analysis on the Hardship Fund allocations and discussed what this means for collection rates. Megan Mclean explored what this means for those who become newly unemployed, as well as CTR support schemes. Finally, Deven Ghelani looked at what councils can do now to proactively support people.
Review the slides to learn:
- How the Hardship Fund and council tax collection rates interact
- What the future looks like, and how you can plan for future vulnerability
- How to identify the most vulnerable households in your area so you can target additional support
Deven Ghelani, Director and founder of Policy in Practice, was invited to speak at the Neath Port Talbot Poverty Symposium on the topic of the impact of welfare reform on personal debt and financial resilience.
In his session Deven talked about the general impact of welfare policies on our living standards and how Neath Port Talbot Council is using their own household level data to identify vulnerability, target support and track change. Deven then shared Policy in Practice's new research on transitioning to Universal Credit.
For further information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
The future is uncertain and recovery will be tough. It’s difficult to make projections about what the policy landscape will look like, what the wider economic trends will be and what will happen to different groups of people.
But we need to make projections to see implications for demand for council support and services, and indebtedness.
Listen back to hear:
- Key findings from our rapid-response COVID-19 analysis for the Greater London Authority
- How a new approach to real-time analytics can support councils with their economic and social recovery plan
- What our new future modelling analysis is predicting for both household and council finances
Utility week 2018: Customer Solutions: The debt landscape in response to a ch...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, was invited so speak at this year's Utility Week conference on the subject of debt and vulnerability.
He outlined the policy landscape that has lead to some working age households being worse off by over £40 per week by 2020.
As well as referencing innovative work being done by Cambridge City Council and South Staffs Water, Deven outlined practical software tools that utility companies can use to identify and support vulnerable customers.
For more details visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Eficiency versus insurance: The role for fiscal policy in social security pri...GRAPE
Pension system reforms imply substantial redistribution between cohorts and within cohorts. They also implicitly affect the scope of risk sharing in societies. Linking pensions to individual incomes increases efficiency but reduces the insurance motive implicit in Beveridgean systems. The existing view in the literature argues that the insurance motive dominates the efficiency gains when evaluating the welfare effects. We show that this result is not universal: there exist ways to increase efficiency or compensate the loss of insurance, assuring welfare gains from pension system reform even in economies with uninsurable idiosyncratic income shocks. The fiscal closure, which necessarily accompanies the changes in the pension system, may boost efficiency and/or make up for lower insurance in the pension system. Indeed, fiscal closures inherently interact with the effects of pension system reform, counteracting or reinforcing the original effects. By analyzing a variety of fiscal closures, we reconcile our result with the earlier literature. We also study the political economy context and show that political support is feasible depending on the fiscal closure
COVID-19 has created residents who are newly financially vulnerable and who will be looking to you for help in the near future. But who are these people, and what action can you take now to stop them falling into crisis? And, critically, how will your support services need to adapt?
As the pandemic continues to hit the financial resilience of many families, councils are looking ahead to what this means for collection rates, and whether their council tax support schemes can cope with increased demand.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth summarised the latest and forthcoming policy updates which will drive the need for local authorities to redesign their CTR schemes, highlighting the importance of how understanding this context can assist scheme design.
Paul Howarth presented some key insights from our analysis on Understanding the Impact of Universal Credit on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Rent Arrears in Wales.
Dr Ben Fell shared details of our latest work on future modelling and how it can help you future-proof CTR schemes for local authorities.
Finally, Sally Sanders shared how working with Policy in Practice has helped Enfield Council model a new scheme to help protect residents from COVID-19 income shocks.
Listen back to hear:
- New analysis for the Welsh Government on the impact of Universal Credit on rent and council tax arrears
- How COVID-19 is expected to change your caseload, and what this means for your council tax support scheme
-Measures you can take to boost future collection rates and minimise arrears
Webinar: Council tax support Models that Members can sign up toPolicy in Practice
Listen back to hear Policy in Practice in conversation with Allan Clark, Barnet Council, to learn how they're changing their council tax support scheme for Universal Credit.
We cover how Policy in Practice's comprehensive impact modelling provided the data that Barnet Council's Members needed to agree amended schemes with confidence.
Listen back to learn:
- How LAs’ CTS schemes have evolved since they were first introduced
- What factors Barnet modelled, and why
- What schemes Barnet considered, rejected and implemented
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
The dynamics of social assistance benefit receiptOECD
Comparative evidence on the receipt of minimum-income benefits discussion of empirical assessment of state dependence / "scarring effects" in benefit receipt
Ageing: Fiscal implications and policy responses -- Mirko Lichetta, United Ki...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Mirko Lichetta, United Kingdom, at the 6th Meeting of the Joint OECD DELSA-GOV Network on Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems, held at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris, on 18-19 September 2017
Is your post COVID-19 Council Tax Support Scheme sustainable?Policy in Practice
The £500 million Hardship Fund allows councils to give extra support to help people affected by Coronavirus. Councils are expected to use this welcome funding to reduce the council tax bills of working-age people who are already receiving council tax support, by £150 in 2020/21.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth presented new nationwide analysis on the Hardship Fund allocations and discussed what this means for collection rates. Megan Mclean explored what this means for those who become newly unemployed, as well as CTR support schemes. Finally, Deven Ghelani looked at what councils can do now to proactively support people.
Review the slides to learn:
- How the Hardship Fund and council tax collection rates interact
- What the future looks like, and how you can plan for future vulnerability
- How to identify the most vulnerable households in your area so you can target additional support
Deven Ghelani, Director and founder of Policy in Practice, was invited to speak at the Neath Port Talbot Poverty Symposium on the topic of the impact of welfare reform on personal debt and financial resilience.
In his session Deven talked about the general impact of welfare policies on our living standards and how Neath Port Talbot Council is using their own household level data to identify vulnerability, target support and track change. Deven then shared Policy in Practice's new research on transitioning to Universal Credit.
For further information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
The future is uncertain and recovery will be tough. It’s difficult to make projections about what the policy landscape will look like, what the wider economic trends will be and what will happen to different groups of people.
But we need to make projections to see implications for demand for council support and services, and indebtedness.
Listen back to hear:
- Key findings from our rapid-response COVID-19 analysis for the Greater London Authority
- How a new approach to real-time analytics can support councils with their economic and social recovery plan
- What our new future modelling analysis is predicting for both household and council finances
Utility week 2018: Customer Solutions: The debt landscape in response to a ch...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, was invited so speak at this year's Utility Week conference on the subject of debt and vulnerability.
He outlined the policy landscape that has lead to some working age households being worse off by over £40 per week by 2020.
As well as referencing innovative work being done by Cambridge City Council and South Staffs Water, Deven outlined practical software tools that utility companies can use to identify and support vulnerable customers.
For more details visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Eficiency versus insurance: The role for fiscal policy in social security pri...GRAPE
Pension system reforms imply substantial redistribution between cohorts and within cohorts. They also implicitly affect the scope of risk sharing in societies. Linking pensions to individual incomes increases efficiency but reduces the insurance motive implicit in Beveridgean systems. The existing view in the literature argues that the insurance motive dominates the efficiency gains when evaluating the welfare effects. We show that this result is not universal: there exist ways to increase efficiency or compensate the loss of insurance, assuring welfare gains from pension system reform even in economies with uninsurable idiosyncratic income shocks. The fiscal closure, which necessarily accompanies the changes in the pension system, may boost efficiency and/or make up for lower insurance in the pension system. Indeed, fiscal closures inherently interact with the effects of pension system reform, counteracting or reinforcing the original effects. By analyzing a variety of fiscal closures, we reconcile our result with the earlier literature. We also study the political economy context and show that political support is feasible depending on the fiscal closure
COVID-19 has created residents who are newly financially vulnerable and who will be looking to you for help in the near future. But who are these people, and what action can you take now to stop them falling into crisis? And, critically, how will your support services need to adapt?
As the pandemic continues to hit the financial resilience of many families, councils are looking ahead to what this means for collection rates, and whether their council tax support schemes can cope with increased demand.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth summarised the latest and forthcoming policy updates which will drive the need for local authorities to redesign their CTR schemes, highlighting the importance of how understanding this context can assist scheme design.
Paul Howarth presented some key insights from our analysis on Understanding the Impact of Universal Credit on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Rent Arrears in Wales.
Dr Ben Fell shared details of our latest work on future modelling and how it can help you future-proof CTR schemes for local authorities.
Finally, Sally Sanders shared how working with Policy in Practice has helped Enfield Council model a new scheme to help protect residents from COVID-19 income shocks.
Listen back to hear:
- New analysis for the Welsh Government on the impact of Universal Credit on rent and council tax arrears
- How COVID-19 is expected to change your caseload, and what this means for your council tax support scheme
-Measures you can take to boost future collection rates and minimise arrears
Webinar: Council tax support Models that Members can sign up toPolicy in Practice
Listen back to hear Policy in Practice in conversation with Allan Clark, Barnet Council, to learn how they're changing their council tax support scheme for Universal Credit.
We cover how Policy in Practice's comprehensive impact modelling provided the data that Barnet Council's Members needed to agree amended schemes with confidence.
Listen back to learn:
- How LAs’ CTS schemes have evolved since they were first introduced
- What factors Barnet modelled, and why
- What schemes Barnet considered, rejected and implemented
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Webinar: How to Future Proof Your CTRS scheme for Universal CreditPolicy in Practice
Despite greater flexibility to raise income, councils still have to make savings and ensure their budgets are spent as efficiently as possible.
In many councils the spotlight is on Council Tax to raise income and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) to make savings.
Council Tax Schemes have been locally designed since April 2013. While many still reflect the nationally administered Council Tax Benefit, we're starting to see greater innovation locally.
The driver of this innovation is the backdrop of the cumulative impact of past and future welfare reforms, the introduction of Universal Credit and ever tighter budgets.
CTRS schemes are intended to keep the most vulnerable citizens safe from poverty. Knowing who those people are is a huge challenge.
We've modelled options for future CTRS schemes in detail for various councils. The impact assessments are used to make informed policy decisions by officers and members.
View this webinar to learn how:
1. We accurately model the cost of CTRS schemes today
2. We accurately model the cost of CTRS schemes in the future, including under Universal Credit
3. We accurately model, compare and evaluate CTRS options under consideration
4. We provide evidenced based recommendations on which CTRS scheme best supports the strategy e. g. best fit for anti-poverty strategy while operating within financial constraints
5. What CTRS schemes we have created for North Hertfordshire, Leeds City and Newcastle City Councils
How to target your Discretionary Housing Payments wellPolicy in Practice
It's hard for local authorities to be sure that support is reaching the households that need help the most. We know that 9 in 10 applications for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) are successful, yet only 1 in 5 households that need a DHP apply. We help local authorities carry out a full needs assessment, as recommended by the DWP, using housing benefit data to create insights that will make council's DHP funds go further.
In this webinar we looked at levels of financial resilience and the need for Discretionary Housing Payments. We were joined by Ellie Kershaw, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, who spoke about how they spend DHP money in line with their local priorities and how they're raising awareness and increasing referrals from those in need.
View the slides to see how our LIFT Dashboard and Benefit and Budgeting Calculator helps LB Tower Hamlets to:
- ensure the consistency of help given by frontline staff
- reduce the time it takes staff to understand eligibility for a DHP
- evidence how well their DHP strategy is working
To find out more visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Webinar | Wed 25 Jan 2017. Listen back to hear how Policy in Practice models the impacts of different Council Tax Reduction schemes on individual households, taking future reforms into account.
Featuring guest speaker Steve Hill, LB Tower Hamlets.
View the slides from our webinar: 2018: A policy review of the year. We were joined by guest speakers Deven Ghelani and Paul Howarth, Policy in Practice.
We reviewed the social policy analysis we delivered for clients in 2018 and recapped on key findings we uncovered. We also discussed what this means for local organisations in 2019.
Find out what we learnt about:
Homelessness and housing
Changing living standards of low income households
Universal Credit's impact on people
Universal Credit's impact on frontline organisations
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
Mapping The Impact of Welfare Reform and Universal Credit, With Your Own DataPolicy in Practice
Local authorities know that the impact of welfare reforms is going to be big, but they have no way of knowing the impact that future reforms like Universal Credit would have.
By running housing benefit data through Policy in Practice’s Universal Benefit Calculator they can understand the impact at an aggregate level as well as pin pointing exactly how each household is affected by welfare reforms.
Deven Ghelani, CEO of Policy in Practice and a director of the Welfare Reform Club, gave a webinar on this topic in July 2015.
Paying for long term care insurance: The pros and cons of different payment m...ILC- UK
As the population of the UK continues to age, the demand for social care increases, as do the associated costs. How to pay for long term care is therefore a hot topic in the insurance world and amongst policy makers.
This event will saw the launch of a new paper from the ILC-UK and Cass Business School which investigates different ways in which individuals can purchase and pay for insurance products specifically to help them to pay for their care costs in later life.
Chaired by Baroness Sally Greengross OBE, Chief Executive of the ILC-UK, the launch included a keynote presentation report co-author Professor Les Mayhew. Responses were given by Jules Constantinou, Regional Manager, Gen Re Life/Health; Brian Fisher, Aviva/Friends Life, and Steve Lowe, Just.
Analysing SR2015: Will your customers be better or worse off under Universal ...Policy in Practice
The Chancellor's U-turn on tax credits cuts shows that he listened to many people, Policy in Practice included, who were concerned that the cuts announced in July would hit the pockets and the employment prospects of working families too hard.
Yet the welfare savings the Chancellor wants to achieve over the long term will still be realised within Universal Credit.
With the exception of households working mini-jobs, the new system leaves more people worse off in work than the current benefits system.
We've analysed the data from the SR2015 announcements and reveal our results in this webinar.
View this slide deck to learn:
> Why 52% of households working 16 hours or more will be worse off under UC
> Which groups of people will be most severely affected, and how
> When the biggest impacts will be felt over the next 4 years
> What actions local organisations can take now to mitigate against the impact of the cuts
Who should view these slides?
You should view these slides if you are designing support programmes or delivering change programmes, such as the welfare reform agenda, for your local organisation.
The transition to Universal Credit and the introduction of a lower benefit cap will become a reality for thousands of people this Autumn.
For the first time, Policy in Practice has modelled how welfare reform is affecting cities, towns and London Boroughs differently to create a national picture.
Using household-level data from different local authorities we’ve modelled the likely impact of continued deployment of welfare reforms on towns and cities that aren’t yet significantly affected.
By analysing the impact of Universal Credit on different types of councils we can predict how similar local authorities are likely to be hit.
Some areas in the UK will see a major impact almost overnight as a result of welfare reforms.
Listen to this webinar to learn:
1. How your local authority peers are impacted by welfare reforms (by council type)
2. What impact the lower benefit cap, Universal Credit and housing reforms will have (by council type)
3. How households in your local area are likely to be affected
Universal Credit: Protect rental income and support tenantsPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani and Donna Gallagher, Policy in Practice, spoke at the Digital Housing Conference in Manchester on 31 October 2018. This is the slide deck they presented.
They spoke about Universal Credit: protect rental income and support tenants to officers and managers from housing associations.
In particular they covered:
Introduction to Policy in Practice
The impact of Universal Credit
Rollout update
The impact on rent arrears
Budget 2018 policy changes
What do you know about your tenants?
Mapping the aggregate impact of UC on tenants
The impact on individual families and how to engage them
How housing associations are meeting these challenges
The experience at Your Homes Newcastle
The experience with other housing associations
For further information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Using benefits data to assess the impact of welfare reform in LondonPolicy in Practice
Giovanni Tonutti, Policy in Practice, presented his work on Using benefits data to assess the impact of welfare reform in London at the International Conference for Administrative Data Research, Queens University, Belfast on Friday 22 June 2018.
This conference is aimed at researchers who use administrative data to better understand populations and societies. His presentation falls under the conference theme of The World of Work which focusses on the labour market experience of those in, and out, of work.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
How data can help support vulnerable utility customersPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani spoke at Utility Week's #consumerdebt conference in Birmingham on 27 February 2018.
In his talk, titled The changing living standards of low income households and their ability to pay, he focused on:
- assessing the initial effect of universal credit on low-income households
- the impact of wider welfare reforms and
- how organisations can support vulnerable customers..
For further information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Understanding the impact of welfare reforms on households in the South EastPolicy in Practice
With the lower Benefit Cap coming in Autumn 2016 and Universal Credit firmly in its implementation phase, knowing what impact welfare reform policies will have on individual households is more critical than ever.
It’s also important to understand the impact of interventions. Targeting support to those households where it will have the greatest impact is crucial as local authorities continue to find ways to deliver more with less.
This Policy in Practice seminar from Wednesday 28 September 2016 showcased pioneering work being done by two London councils, Croydon and Tower Hamlets. Their work combines pre-emptive analysis with proactive programmes that will reach out to households and offer support, before reforms hit them.
Webinar: Revolutionising Government's Relationship with DataPolicy in Practice
Councils are being driven by ever tighter squeezes on budgets and the availability of smarter, cheaper technology.
And senior leaders need high quality, reliable data that can be interrogated to reveal insights that will let them do more with less.
The good news? Revenue and Benefits teams already have the data sets.
In this webinar Deven Ghelani and Daniel Cavanillas from Policy in Practice showed how some Revenues and Benefits teams are using their data to punch above their weight.
We highlighted how local government finance teams have:
- Used standardised government data sets to identify in advance which individual households will be affected by the lower benefit cap and by how much. They can take proactive steps and prioritise support to those most heavily impacted.
- Used standardised government data sets to identify which 18-21 year olds will lose their Housing Benefit as a result of changes in government policy, and which will be required to ‘Earn or Learn’. Some of our clients have commissioned targeted support on the basis of this analysis.
- Used standardised government data sets to identify exactly how much is lost through Pupil Premium funding as a result of households failing to make a claim for means tested free school meals, and exactly which households should be making a claim. This is worth over £1m to most London Boroughs.
IntoWork2015 Conference: Targeting Support - Who Will Welfare Reforms Hit Har...Policy in Practice
Targeting Support: Who Will Welfare Reforms Hit Hardest?
Speakers: Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, Guy Chaundy, Birmingham City Council
Event: Inclusion's IntoWork2015 Convention, Wed 15 July 2015, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London.
The speakers told attendees how data insights are helping reshape the distribution of scarce support resources for two large councils in England.
By analysing data they are collect the councils have gained valuable knowledge about the cumulative impact of welfare reforms on individual households in their respective areas.
What's more, those councils have also forecasted what the likely impact of future welfare reforms will be.
This means they know which households are most vulnerable to cuts, and which will be better off under Universal Credit.
Crucially, these insights allow them to therefore deliver support campaigns where they're most needed.
Deven Ghelani is the director of Policy in Practice, an organisation founded to ensure that policy works for people on the frontline. He was joined by Guy Chaundy from Birmingham City Council.
Similar to Webinar: Understand how Universal Credit affects Council Tax Reduction Schemes (20)
Deven Ghelani spoke at Destin Solutions webinar on the impact the Breathing Space policy will have on local authorities.
View these slides to find out:
- The context for debt and collections in the UK
- What is Breathing Space?
- The impact on council tax collection
- Our findings for the GLA
- The case for early intervention: ReImagine Debt
For more details call 0330 088 9242
https://policyinpractice.co.uk/webinar-how-to-influence-central-government/
Browse our webinar slides to learn how to influence central government policy development and get your frontline experiences heard. With Paul Howarth and Jake Love Soper.
A new Parliamentary term brings fresh opportunity to talk to decision-makers about the things that really matter.
We think it’s important that policy hears from practice. But we also know it can be hard for people on the front line to get their voice heard above the noise.
Our guest speakers spoke about how to influence central government policy development and get your frontline experiences heard. With Paul Howarth and Jake Love Soper.
For more details call 0330 088 9242
https://policyinpractice.co.uk/webinar-how-to-influence-central-government/
2020 has brought fundamental changes to our lives, both personally and professionally. As our economy took second place to our health, so the welfare safety net came to the fore to support families who faced an income shock, seemingly overnight.
In this webinar Deven Ghelani, Zoe Charlesworth, Paul Howarth and Duncan Hatfield looked back at the policy response to the seismic shifts in our economy and society wrought by the pandemic. We revisited the research findings we uncovered from our analysis for clients across both local and central government. And, as the focus turns to the health of our economy, we look at what 2021 means for people facing redundancy, debt or lower incomes.
Listen back to the webinar to hear:
- How well the COVID-19 welfare changes worked, and what should happen next
- How living standards changed this year, and what the future holds
- The outlook for 2021 and how organisations can best support families
Our policy experts will discuss our analysis and what this means in 2021 for council tax support schemes, housing and homelessness demand, the outlook for living standards in the context of economic recovery, Universal Credit and Brexit.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Deven Ghelani was invited to talk about the the impact of the benefit cap through the use of administrative data at a webinar organised by the University of York on Thursday 26 November 2020.
He was joined by a range of speakers, Dr Kitty Stewart, LSE and Dr Donald Hirsch, Loughborough University and Claire Hall, Child Poverty Action Group, to name but a few.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Current Challenges and the Future Direction of Social Security ReformPolicy in Practice
Westminster Insight’s timely Welfare Reform Forum explored how to process the huge upsurge in claims, improving advice for those dealing with immediate cash flow problems, changing assessment processes to safeguard claimants, identifying people falling through gaps in the system and supporting the most vulnerable people financially affected by the pandemic.
Zoe's keynote address covered:
- The implications of the Government’s response to COVID 19 on the social security system
- Improving system design, delivery, flexibility and speed to support people in times of crisis
- Ensuring the social security system can weather the longer-term effects of the crisis
- Creating a person-centred, holistic and supportive social security system
In today’s economic climate falling into debt is perilously easy, getting out is hard. Firms in the debt sector have adopted flexible and ethical collection practices to support families who are struggling, yet costs and the time taken to collect have increased.
This Policy in Practice webinar featured guest speakers Carole Kenney, Director, Welfare and Customer Care, Gareth McNab, Social Inclusion Lead, Nationwide Building Society who spoke alongside Zoe Charlesworth, Director of Policy and Operations, Policy in Practice, and Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice.
Whether you’re a collection agency, utility company, advice organisation, local authority or housing association, you’re on the frontline for helping people in debt.
You can boost the financial resilience of households by helping them to increase their income. In this way, you can increase collection rates and social impact, in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing.
In this webinar we discussed:
- How COVID-19 has already hit people’s incomes, and what’s in store
- Who the newly vulnerable households are
- How to reduce existing arrears and the chance of a customer falling into arrears
- How to minimise the cost of debt collection
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
The Future of the Welfare State: Universal Credit, Furlough Schemes and Other...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani was invited to talk about the effectiveness of Universal Credit and the social policies introduced in the light of COVID-19 at this conference by Public Policy Exchange on Thursday 1 October 2020.
He joined speakers Debbie Abrahams MP, Steve McCabe MP, Dr Sophie Wickham and Dr Guy Standing.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice, delivered this presentation to the Money Advice Liason Group (MALG) Virtual summit on Thursday 29 October.
Over 20 million of us don’t have the necessary skills to effectively manage our money and 11.5 million of us have less than £100 in savings.
With predictions of widespread unemployment and an expected tsunami of people needing debt advice and support during the coming months and years, this session explored the innovative new tools and approaches that will help organisations to improve the financial capability of customers, increase the financial resilience of customers and engage customers earlier.
Sarah Lambert from Policy in Practice discussed research and initiatives we've developed, including our award winning Benefit and Budgeting Calculator, to support organisations to get ahead of the curve.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
AIM: Data protection, data governance, data managementPolicy in Practice
Tues 29 Sept: Deven Ghelani spoke with Paul Withers, DPO for Walsall Council, about our lessons so far from a powerful new project backed by the LGA and NHS digital to link data across adult services, children's services, public health, the NHS and police. Good data science relies upon access to good data, and we spoke about focusing on impact to win over stakeholders, actively raising and resolving data governance concerns upfront, and how the basics of good data management (security, data cleaning, data linking) are harder and more important than the 'sexy' data science that this project will become known for.
For more information email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Councils are looking ahead to what COVID-19 means for collection rates, people’s ability to pay, and whether their council tax support schemes can cope with increased demand.
Zoe and Megan share key findings of three new reports:
- An 18 month project working with 22 Welsh local authorities for the Welsh Government on Universal Credit, council tax reduction scheme and rent arrears in Wales Reports for the Greater London
- Authority on the impact of the Coronavirus Hardship Fund, and on the impact that a flexible approach to collections has on collection rates Analysis for the Cabinet Office on the effectiveness of an early intervention approach to managing arrears in two councils, Newcastle and Barking and Dagenham Council tax arrears were already £3.5 billion pre-crisis and are forecast to reach nearly £5 billion by the end of parliament.
Zoe Charlesworth examines what the worsening financial crisis means for council’s collection rates, budget setting and council tax support schemes, and will look at efforts across central and local government to improve how council tax debt is recovered.
Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy at Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Virtual Annual Conference about those people who have struggled or missed out on support due to COVID-19 uncertainty.
The new COVID-19 schemes operate alongside means-tested benefits, pay different amounts and cater to different kinds of eligibility, resulting in a wide yet inequitable net of support. Zoe Charlesworth presents analysis by Policy in Practice that looked at over 2,500 individual cases of households who struggled with or missed out on support. Zoe will explore the characteristics of eight groups who you should watch out for as you advise residents, and a worked example of surplus earnings rules. Delegates learnt who missed out on support, what impact of COVID-19 support has had on inequality and, practically, who will need more guidance as their circumstances change.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Reimagine Debt. A tale of two councils: Reimagine Debt CollectionPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder of Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Virtual Annual Conference about the Cabinet Office's reimagine debt pilot scheme.
As COVID-19 continues to hit the financial resilience of many families councils are looking ahead to what this means for collection rates. With council tax arrears already at £3.5 billion pre-crisis, and forecast to reach nearly £5 billion by the end of parliament, councils will need to find new ways to maximise collections. Deven Ghelani spoke about how two councils identified which residents owed multiple debts to them, how they stabilised their incomes, and how they tracked the effectiveness of support. Attendees learnt how early intervention offers a proven approach for other councils to consider to prevent problem debt.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Jade Alsop, Commercial Director at Policy in Practice, spoke at Housemark's Ten Days of Data festival about embedding a data driven culture within organisations such as housing providers, local authorities and others.
Commitment to embrace data-driven decision making is needed at all levels of an organisation to realise the full value of insights. At this event Jade joined the speaker panel with Charlotte Carpenter from Karbon Homes and Colin Sales from 3C Consultants to explore how to lead by example to ensure what we do, say and ask, fosters a data-driven culture and embeds the use of data across an organisation.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
IRRV virtual conference 2020: COVID-19 who has fallen between the gaps?Policy in Practice
In October 2020 Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy Operations presented to IRRV Annual Conference and Exhibition attendees on COVID-19: Who has fallen between the gaps?
Watch the full presentation: www.policyinpractice.co.uk/IRRV-2020
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
At the Government Data Science Festival 2020 Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder of Policy in Practice, joined Paul Withers, Data Protection Manager for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, to present a case study of data science in local government.
Deven and Paul introduced the Active Intervention Management (AIM) project to the audience of local government data and digital officers. AIM is one of three Social Care Digital Innovation (SCDIA) 2020/21 projects that's run by CC2i on behalf of the Local Government Association with match funding from NHS Digital.
AIM uses basic level data to identify potential vulnerabilities and support the improvement of early intervention services. Organisations from fire and rescue, children's services and police authorities are all taking part in AIM.
For more information contact Deven Ghelani via deven@policyinpractice.co.uk or Paul Withers via paul.withers@walsall.gov.uk. Alternatively contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Identifying people at risk of homelessness is a key priority for all local authorities. Deven Ghelani, Director and founder of Policy in Practice was invited to present to the Housing and Homelessness Needs group of London Councils on Friday 11 September 2020.
In his presentation to Deven covered the following agenda:
- Uncertainty: The outlook for the end of furlough and 2021
- The impact of COVID-19 to date: Data from 20 London BoroughsHousing affordability – who is at risk of homelessness
- The future outlook: Caseload, financial resilience and service demand
- Insight into action
For more details and to discuss how Policy in Practice can help your local authority to identify vulnerability, target support and track change using data please contact 020 3239 5579 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
Roundtable - Who are the most vulnerable residents in London?Policy in Practice
Local authorities have stepped up in the fight against Coronavirus. As the lockdown lifts and our thoughts turn to recovery, proactively identifying and targeting support to those who need help most, using all of the insights available, has never been more important.
In this roundtable, hosted by Policy in Practice, we discussed who the most vulnerable residents in London are, both now and in the future.
We shared the latest analysis from our data-led investigation into the causes and consequences of poverty in London, supported by Trust for London.
We also revealed findings from our research for the Greater London Authority on how different welfare support policies have impacted London's poorest households.
We explored what the findings mean for London's local authorities and how services may need to change to proactively safeguard the wellbeing of London's residents.
Listen back to learn about:
- The financial situation of London's residents before COVID-19
- How an Innovate UK backed project can local authorities a real-time view of living standards now
- Which households will be most vulnerable in 2021, how this will impact council finances, and actions councils can take to mitigate the impact on residents
- Findings from research for GLA into the impacts of COVID-19 on low-income Londoners and best practice in flexible collection practices
Our Trust for London supported project will continue for another six months so councils who have not yet taken part still have time to do so. Email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242for details.
Many self-employed people will receive a grant through the new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) this month. These payments can be up to £7,500 and will be counted as earnings under Universal Credit.
As a result, lots of self-employed households will be affected by the complex 'surplus earnings' rules for the first time. In short, these rules mean that for many households, the SEISS money will be taken into account as earnings not just for the month it was received, but for future months as well.
Welfare advisors need to understand the rules, and need a tool that can calculate eligibility all in one place, in order to advise people what their Universal Credit payments will be, and when they need to reclaim.
Hear from Sue McCarron from Citizens Advice Wirral who shared how frontline staff have supported customers facing with fluctuating income using the Benefit and Budgeting Calculator.
Review the slide to learn:
- A simple guide to the SEISS, Universal Credit and surplus earnings rules
- Worked examples to illustrate the challenge, and what to look out for
- How our Benefit and Budgeting Calculator helps
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has made life tough for people who are scared for their health and their finances. It’s also brought huge pressure to frontline organisations who are there to help.
In this webinar we are joined by Ellie Kershaw, Tower Hamlets and Grant Bailey, Cheltenham Borough Homes to discuss how they are dealing with the current changes, and how the crisis now will affect their residents in the future.
We explore how services may need to change and how organisations can be proactive now to safeguard their residents’ wellbeing.
Review the slides to learn:
- How other organisations are helping people deal with Coronavirus
- Ideas to consider that can drive a proactive, prevention approach
- Best practice for dealing with increased demand with limited resources
May recap of the major benefits changes and Coronavirus (COVID-19)Policy in Practice
As new measures to control Coronavirus (COVID-19) are introduced Policy in Practice's Head of Policy, Zoe Charlesworth, summarises the major changes to the welfare system.
As part of the support we've been providing we’ve answered hundreds of questions from people worried about the impact of Coronavirus on their income.
In addition, Megan Mclean shares some of the common questions we’ve received on our Coronavirus support page from people who are worried about their income.
Special guest Victoria Todd, Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, updates us on tax credits.
Finally, Peter Carter briefly walks through software tools that help our clients to give the best advice possible to their customers.
Review the slides to learn:
- What policy measures are in place to protect people
- The impact of COVID-19 welfare measures
- What the main concerns of people are
- How organisations are responding
Register now for our next webinar 'Coronavirus: Stories from the frontline' taking place on May 20 at 10:30 here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7790971575243794701
If the date of this webinar has passed you can view our webinars on demand here http://policyinpractice.co.uk/events/
ZGB - The Role of Generative AI in Government transformation.pdfSaeed Al Dhaheri
This keynote was presented during the the 7th edition of the UAE Hackathon 2024. It highlights the role of AI and Generative AI in addressing government transformation to achieve zero government bureaucracy
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
What is the point of small housing associations.pptxPaul Smith
Given the small scale of housing associations and their relative high cost per home what is the point of them and how do we justify their continued existance
Many ways to support street children.pptxSERUDS INDIA
By raising awareness, providing support, advocating for change, and offering assistance to children in need, individuals can play a crucial role in improving the lives of street children and helping them realize their full potential
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Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
3. We make the welfare system
simple to understand, so that
people can make the decisions
that are right for them
4. Speakers
Zoe Charlesworth
Head of Policy
Juan Alvarez Vilanova
Policy Analyst
Jenny Hoare
Lead Technical Specialist
Wolverhampton City Council
5. Agenda
• Background to Council tax reduction and trends since 2013
• Objectives of CTR schemes and the impact of Universal Credit
• Wolverhampton City Council’s scheme with Jenny Hoare
• 4 approaches to modelling CTR schemes
• Questions and answers
8. 888
Poll: What would your main objective be if
you were changing your CTR scheme?
9. Why change your scheme?
• Reduce cost of the scheme i.e. the cost of the benefit/discount
• Reduce administrative costs for the authority
• Reduce (or avoid increasing) council tax arrears and the cost of collection
• Align with Universal Credit
• Promote work incentives
• Define and protect vulnerable people
• Reduce poverty
• Simplify your scheme
From mid 2017 the impetus for scheme change has been the migration to Universal
Credit full service and administration savings
10. Why introduce a new scheme with
Universal Credit?
• Residents will need to re-assess income as they migrate to Universal Credit so
changes in Council Tax Support can be part of this
• Partial introduction as households migrate to Universal Credit
• A scheme to go alongside Universal Credit or to support those who are adversely
affected by Universal Credit
• The opportunity to use the Universal Credit assessment of income
• Realisation of the relative cost of administration against awards once Housing
Benefit is removed
• Re-assessments with monthly Universal Credit changes / RTI
11. Re-assessment doubles under UC
Data analysis of a full service site by Policy in Practice revealed the average number of
re-assessments in one year is 3
The average re-assessments for households in receipt of Universal Credit is 6
Source: a seaside council in the East of England
12. Cost effective administration
Increased re-assessment
Alongside…
• Reduction in cross subsidy from Housing Benefit administration
• Proportionally more when CTR is standalone
• Administration costs may be up to 25% of scheme costs once CTR assessment is
standalone
13. Reduce administration costs
1. Number of claims
• Some councils may see a drop off in numbers under the default scheme as households
move to Universal Credit. This can be modelled and planned for
• Drop-off due to households not claiming under Universal Credit
2. Number of re-assessments
• Re-assessments for households in receipt of Universal Credit may double. Scheme
design can minimise this
• Introduction of additional elements such as de minimus rules and using average
income
• Software from CT software suppliers may limit re-assessments but this must be built
into scheme design
3. Complexity of assessment
• Using Universal Credit assessment can minimise administration time
• Schemes can be simpler e.g. no tariff income, single non-dependant deduction etc
14. Default scheme: simple solution?
What is it?
• Similar to current scheme but UC Max replaces the “Applicable Amount”
• Income for UC purposes PLUS UC replaces income
• No earnings disregards
General outcomes
• Will usually cost slightly less than the legacy benefit scheme
• Households not in work are unlikely to see difference in support
• Households in work will receive lower CTR as they will be receiving higher UC. Good
news for LAs!
BUT……
Sticking a default based scheme will not be neutral – there will be winners and losers in
any case
15. Default scheme: simple solution?
This does not maintain the status quo – there will be winners and losers
In particular groups that receive lower UC than legacy benefits AND receive lower CTR.
This will happen if :
• the assessment of “needs” is lower under UC than under legacy benefits because
this also reduces the income side of the equation, e.g. ending disability premiums
• Income that is taken into account is higher under UC than legacy benefits, e.g. self
employed and the minimum income floor
17. Some people will lose a lot
• Employed households with a disability
• Self-employed households
• Lone parents working > 16 hours but < full-time on minimum wage
18. Others get reduced CT Support but higher
Universal Credit
• Most non-disabled employed households (but not lone parents)
• Households whose needs have increased in UC assessment
19. Some will see higher Universal Credit and higher
CT Support
Households with income from boarders
20. Default scheme: impact on costs
Cost savings are dependant on local demographics
Higher proportion of employed and self-employed = higher reduction in cost
• London borough with 45% of caseload employed and self-employed (17% self-
employed) saw a cost reduction of 12% when all households migrated to Universal
Credit
• A Borough Council with 13% of caseload employed and self-employed saw an
insignificant reduction when all households migrated to Universal Credit.
Analysis of your local data can provide an indication of cost savings
24. 4 approaches to modelling CTR schemes
1. Do nothing
2. Make small tweaks
3. Income-banded schemes
4. Discount schemes
25. Your Housing Benefit / Council
Tax data
Our Benefit and Budgeting
Calculator
Rich, detailed impact
assessment: who is impacted
and by how much
Our approach to data analysis
We use administrative data capturing
detailed information on low income
households
We combine these datasets together
over time, and model policies across
four government departments
combined, to examine the impacts
both now and in the future
CTR support now and in a future
scenario, both under the current
system or under UC
26. 1. Do nothing approach
• Shows council impact if nothing was changed, but the following occur:
• Council Tax Liabilities increase
• National Minimum Wage, Personal Tax Allowance increase
• XX% of households are migrated over to Universal Credit
• Rent prices, benefit rates increase
• “Not doing anything is the most radical thing you can do”
27. 2. Make small tweaks
Model the social and financial impact of small
tweaks, including:
• Introducing band cap, capital limit
• Changing max. support, taper rate
• Reducing/removing non-dependant
deductions
• Introducing Minimum Income Floor to all
self-employed
Amendment type
Numbers
affected
Capital limit reduction 35
Band cap 75
Changes to non-dep
deductions 834
Application of MIF 174
Total 1,118Example
• A NW council made 4 small tweaks to make savings; modelling showed this allows
reduced minimum payment from £3.50/week to £3.22/week
• Impact broken down by demographics; which household types lose out and which
gain. Useful for consultation
28. 3. Income-banded schemes
• Modelling the financial and social implications of sorting households into set income
bands, each with corresponding discounts
• Building in protection for larger households through different ways:
• Disregarded earnings or incomes (e.g. Child Benefit, childcare element, housing
element etc.)
• Equivalising income – dividing by number of household members
• Different bands for single people / couples with children
• Reverse engineer income bands, and levels of discount for each, to keep scheme cost-
neutral.
29. 4. Discount schemes
• Like income-banded schemes (not repeating assessment) but looking at
circumstances only
• Households sorted into small number of bands, for example:
• Band 1 – households on UC and not earning
• Band 2 – households on UC and earning below work allowance
• Band 3 – households on UC and earning above work allowance
• Above, use of work allowance (which varies by household type) means larger
households not penalised
• Reverse-engineering to find discounts that keep cost same
30. See social and political impacts
On different demographics
-8.0% -8.6%
-10.9%
-15.5%
-6.6%
-3.5%
-4.9% -4.4%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
Single Lone Parent Couple no
children
Couple with
children
% change in CTR compared to retention of current
scheme, by household composition
Household not on UC Households on UC
On different tenures
33. Conclusion
Universal Credit is coming and the status quo will not be neutral
The best scheme for an authority will depend on:
• Demographics
• Current scheme
• Political climate
• Overarching policies and local priorities
The effectiveness of your scheme can only be understood through detailed cost
and social impact analysis
35. Next steps
Download Modelling Services flyer
Download Universal Credit and Council Tax Reduction Schemes white paper
Short survey
• We value your feedback
• Ask questions
• Take another look at our CTRS work
Next events
• 9 March: Roundtable: Improving lives whilst reducing dependency
• 21 March: Helping disabled jobseekers on their journey into work
• 18 April: Proactively tackle homelessness
What would your main objective be if you were changing your CTR scheme?
Reduce cost of the scheme i.e. the cost of the benefit/discount
Reduce administrative costs for the authority
Reduce (or avoid increasing) council tax arrears and the cost of collection
Align with Universal Credit
Reduce poverty
Didn’t have expertise internally
UC rollout
Wanted objectivity for members – internal process – where did members come into it?
Governments may know how one policy affects many people. We can show how all policies combined affect one person.
We work with household level data from over 40 different local authorities to
Welfare reforms we model, and how accurate we are.
Are you planning to change your CTR scheme soon?
Yes, for implementation in 2019/20
Yes, for implementation in 2020/21
Yes, but not in the near future
No