Agenda item

No urgent items.

 

At this juncture, Members were informed that there would be two questions put forward as follows:

 

(i)            Councillor Rhys Thomas raised the following question:

 

“This Council wisely wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions asking for the roll-out of Universal Credit to be delayed due to the many technical difficulties that had been already highlighted.  This week, the Government is having to delay the roll-out of Universal Credit to those already on benefits for the very reasons that we gave as a Council.

 

Does the Council have any evidence that hardship has been caused to any of our citizens by the introduction of Universal Credit in Denbighshire?”

 

Response by the Lead Member for Corporate Standards, Councillor Mark Young:

 

“The issue of Universal Credit has been over the national press but will respond with a snap shot of the Universal Credit roll-out across our Authority.  Not only are we looking after people affected by this but by setting up Working Denbighshire, we are helping people to get into work and improving their skills for better jobs.  We are taking a resilient approach to supporting people.  Thanks were extended to Mel Evans (Principal Manager, Strategic Employment) and her Team.

 

As you are aware, the Universal Credit roll-out was presented to Communities Scrutiny Committee on 17 May 2018.  It focussed on the likely effects of the introduction of Universal Credit Full Service on the Council services, the County’s residents, and the planning and preparation work taken to date.  Members scrutinised the topic with many Members commenting on the value of the report.  Members asked that their congratulations and gratitude be conveyed to all partners involved with the proactive approach taken to manage the impact of Universal Credit introduction in Denbighshire.

 

Scrutiny had asked:

·         To continue to support the on-going work of the Universal Credit Board to understand and manage the impacts for both Council Services and Denbighshire residents of the introduction of Universal Credit, and

·         Unless concerns merit earlier consideration, to request that a further report be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time on the impact of the introduction of Universal Credit Full Service on residents and Council Servics, and that the report include details of any lessons learnt from the initial roll-out and an overview of the work underway to mitigate the impact on the Council and residents of the migration of current benefit recipients to Universal Credit in due course.

The Universal Credit Project Team had been working with Partners and Services to monitor the impact of Universal Credit and here are some key facts:

·            Over 2,500 Denbighshire customers have now moved on to Universal Credit Full Service since April 2018

·            Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Library services have seen an increase in the numbers of customers they are supporting (but within our resources, and demand is being met)

·            Merger of DCC staff and CAB staff working in Job Centres was working extremely effectively (helping over 500+ customers to access council services and support)

·            Universal Credit Board is still meeting and monitoring any operational impact (proactively setting up this Board nine months before Universal Credit went live in Denbighshire has helped hugely)

·            Working closely with WLGA and other Welsh Authorities to share best practice

 

Some key information on Universal Credit in relation to Denbighshire Housing:

·         181 Tenancies have moved to Universal Credit at the moment.  Housing also became a trusted partner with Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) mid-August 2018 (this has improved the process of applying for direct payments to protect vulnerable tenants)

·         All tenants are contacted once housing costs have been confirmed with the DWP to assess if any additional support was required (budgeting etc.)

·         The amount of new cases per month was at the higher end of  our initial projections

·         Crucially, Court Enforcement had not increased in DCC housing since the implementation of Universal Credit so a huge well done to DCC Officers and Partners.

 

So in summary, DCC had anticipated the challenges and managed any issues from the roll-out.  In this instance, the DCC way has worked but if any residents have problems, please direct them to the CAB as they can help.”

 

(ii)          Councillor Arwel Roberts raised the following question:

 

“Following the publication of the HMRS’s Stamp Duty figures which show that a quarter of the houses bought in Denbighshire last year have been bought as second homes or holiday homes, could we have an update on the policy for increasing tax on long-term empty homes and holiday homes?”

 

Response by the Lead Member for Housing, Regulation and the Environment, Councillor Tony Thomas:

 

“As the Lead Member responsible for empty homes, I can confirm a Business Case had been submitted at the Young People & Housing Board in October, 2018.  The Empty Homes Delivery Plan would be nearing completion by the end of the month and from that a Project Group has been set up. 

 

I can also confirm that a request for an Empty Homes Officer has been put forward.”