The Great Housing Benefit Scandal

Nine billion pounds of taxpayers' money goes to private landlords every year in housing benefit. And the Institute for Public Policy Research estimates that at least £3bn of that money is spent on poor quality accommodation annually. Despite the huge amounts at stake, councils across the country have little control over where housing benefit ends up. And some unscrupulous landlords are taking the cash while exploiting vulnerable tenants. Local authorities can find themselves effectively rewarding rogue landlords - handing out significant amounts of housing benefit with one hand, while trying to prosecute them for non-compliance with the other.  Read more on the BBC website.