Families hit by the coalition government’s welfare
reforms have seen their average debt increase by more than 70% in just over a
year, a study has found. Real Life Reform, a study by eight social landlords,
has been tracking the impact of welfare changes on the lives of more than 70
tenants through a series of reports since last July. The latest report, based
on interviews conducted in August, shows the average household debt of the
tenants involved is now £3,931, up 71.8% from £2,288 since July 2013. Nearly
half of these households (48%) don’t know when or if they will be able to repay
what they owe. Download the report from the Liverpool Housing Trust website.
