READY-furnished homes to help homeless and low income people are under consideration by Blackburn Council

Changes to social security regulations now make it difficult for people receiving income support to get social fund or community care grants to provide essential furniture, the housing committee was told.

A recent survey by the Rowntree Foundation showed lack of adequate furniture and the inability to purchase it as one of the causes of the breakdown of tenancies.

About 70 per cent of council tenants are on low incomes and qualify for housing benefit.

Councillors were told around £50,000 would be needed to set up 25 furnished homes - the minimum necessary for a pilot scheme.

Furniture and electrical goods would be leased to tenants by way of a service charge, which would be eligible for housing benefit.

The cost of items, plus administrative costs, would be recovered with a pay-back period of between three and five years.

Conservative councillors wanted to know whether the prospect of a furnished home could be used to tempt tenants into less popular council accommodation.

But the idea was blasted by the ruling Labour group who insisted people should have a choice of where they went.

Tory leader Don Heatlie-Jackson asked: "How long are we going to bend over backwards to give people what they need rather than what they desire?" Coun Michael Barrett lashed back: "You are talking about social engineering. You want us to say we will rehouse people but they have to go where we say they have to go."

Councillors instructed officers to further investigate the idea and report back to the January housing committee.

They will also write a strong letter to the Government, pointing out the hardships caused by the inflexibility of the social security system which no longer provides adequately for low income people setting up homes.

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