Time to unfreeze Housing Benefit
This week I wrote to the Chancellor, urging him to unfreeze Housing Benefit. The freeze on support has caused a lot of people to struggle with finding affordable homes and with rents rising at record rates, it’s making it even harder for low-income tenants to find a place they can afford. This is leaving many people on the brink of homelessness, with more and more people forced to sleep rough.
Investing in the Local Housing Allowance to cover at least the cheapest third of rents in a local area could help alleviate some of the pressure that the cost-of-living crisis is having on families and individuals, as well as protect people from the damaging effects of homelessness.
I’m hoping that this investment will be included in the Spring Budget. It would be well-targeted support for those on the lowest incomes and facing the highest living costs. Plus, investing in prevention helps us all: it reduces pressure on local authorities, health, and justice services, and helps people into work.
Unfortunately, this is a government whose economic illiteracy has led to a stunted economy and one of the biggest falls in living standards for a generation. None-the-less I will continue to hold them to account and push for the change we need.
|