Benefit Cut Will Aid Minorities

The head of Britain’s equalities watchdog has suggested housing benefit cuts could help black and ethnic minority families. Trevor Phillips, chief executive of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, has argued that the government’s drive to cut the housing benefit bill would benefit minority families in work. He said: ‘The policy may benefit working minority families if it drives down rents overall, since those minority families are far more likely to be in rented accommodation’. Tim Nichols, press and parliamentary officer for the Child Poverty Action Group, queried Mr Phillips’ stance: ‘We know that the housing benefit cuts will disproportionately hit ethnic minority groups… Whether it will decrease rents is extremely speculative. We know the barriers that face people getting into the housing market for the first time are putting strong upward pressure on rents in London in particular.’ Read more on Inside Housing.