The body that advises the government on social security issues has issued a damning verdict on the planned cuts to housing benefit. The Social Security Advisory Committee report, published as the government laid secondary legislation on the cuts in Parliament, predicts that the cuts, which will come into force from April 2011, could cause a ‘substantial displacement of the poorest and most vulnerable households’. They will also exclude a large number of low-income households from the private rented sector in a number of areas. It also describes caps to the amount of local housing allowance that can be paid per room as ‘arbitrary’ and says rents are unlikely to fall as a result of the cuts. Ministers had claimed the caps would drive down excessive rents in areas such as London. The report says: ‘Whether considered separately or as a package, these measures constitute a high-risk approach to managing down the costs of the LHA arrangements. The proposed timetable offers little time for tenants, landlords and other key stakeholders…to prepare for the changes.’ Download a copy of the report from the Official Documents website.
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