CPAG's Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Legislation

for family law practitioners....

AND OTHERS ADVISING ON HOUSING BENEFIT CLAIMS, THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE TEXT

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

?Fighting the injustice of poverty? is the motto of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPHG), the publishers of this book. Now in its 25th edition, this authoritative volume, published in handy paperback format, continues onward as a formidable weapon in the on-going and seemingly never-ending fight.

From lawyers to advisers in housing associations and local authorities, as well as students, this book is acknowledged by the professionals in this field as the standard text. The publishers stress that it is used in all housing benefit cases coming before the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chambers).

As major changes to housing benefit and council tax benefit loom on the horizon, the publication of this completely revised and updated text is timely. Such changes include new dispensations on council tax benefit in April 2012 -- with a view to achieving a 10% reduction on council tax benefit expenditure, while at virtually the same time, the ?benefit cap? will effectively be reduced.

Also, as mentioned in the foreword, universal credit will replace housing benefit in October 2013 for working age claimants in pilot areas, while housing credit within pension credit will be introduced for older claimants above working age. Details of these developments are encapsulated in the ?Future Changes? section of the book which precedes the main text.

Within its more than 1,300 pages, the book packs in all the relevant statutory material, together with expert commentary which includes analysis and references to official guidance, as well as the latest case law plus further help with practice and more, including much new material.

For those dealing with cross-border issues in this field, there is augmented and updated commentary on the rules pertaining to housing benefit entitlement for people from abroad, including the test on the right to reside. And as all information is indexed and cross-referenced, this volume is easy to navigate.

For busy professionals seeking further avenues of enquiry, the book provides a formidable array of further and vital information contained in, for example, tables of cases, commissioners? decisions, upper tribunal decisions and comparative provisions. There are two destination tables of respectively housing benefit regulations and council tax benefit regulations.

If you find yourself dealing with housing benefit claims in whatever capacity, you?ll find this book indispensable, particularly in this important new edition, in which the legislation is up to date as at 8 November 2012. Thank you all very much at the CPAG!