BME Tenants ‘Get a Raw Deal from Benefit Cuts’

Housing benefit cuts will disproportionately harm black and minority ethnic families, according to the first study to assess their impact on the BME community. The Race Equality Foundation said the cuts could damage community cohesion by forcing BME families from their homes and into new areas where housing is more affordable. It claimed BME communities will be more likely to suffer from the cuts because they often need larger homes due to family size and tend to live in areas targeted by the cuts such as London, where the disparity between rents and the benefit cap is particularly high. It pointed to Department for Work and Pensions research which estimated 30 per cent of households affected by capping local housing allowance payments to a maximum of four bedrooms included someone from a BME background. Download a copy of the report from the Race Equality Foundation website.