Impact of housing benefit cut already being felt

06 Jul 2012
Cuts in Housing Benefit 
are already hitting families in Hackney. Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said today:

“People are already suffering becaause of government cuts to welfare particularly housing benefit. When the governement originally announced its cuts in housing benefit, they claimed that that people would not suffer and that landlords would just have to cut their rents. In fact recent research by the Centre for Economic and Social Research reveals that, in London boroughs like Hackney,  landlords are not lowering rents. In fact landlords  are three times more likely to evict tenants than cut the rent. Futhermore 17% of landlords surveyed said that, because levels of housing benefit were going down, they would simply stop letting to tenants in reciept of benefit.

There is also anecdotal evidence that klandlords are putting three tenants intio two bedrooomed flats in order to maintain the money they make from properties.

And in Hackney even more shocking information is emerging. A survey of 1,585 properties in Hackney by the Citizens Advice Bureau  revealed  that only 1% had rents that were affordable on the new reduced levels of housing benefit and had landlords willing to let to beneft claimants.

So this governement’s poliocies on housing benefit are going
to force Hackney families onto the street. The governement needs to look again
at it’s cruel cuts in welfare and housing benefit. But, in the long run society
needs to stop subsidising greedy landlords charging inflated rents through housing benefit.  We need to consider the case for rent controls”

-ENDS-

For more informationplease call Toby Bakare on 0207 219 4426

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