LHA Claimants Up By 63% in London Borough

Claimants of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in London suburb Redbridge have shot up by 63%, new Government figures show. From June 2010 to May this year, the caseload in the borough has risen to 9,650 - up by 3,740 claimants. The number of LHA recipients shot up dramatically throughout Britain and particularly in London, where the claimant count for the outer suburbs show a notable rise; adding fuel to the theory that caps to LHA are stopping or forcing people out of inner London. Elsewhere across England, claimants in Gateshead rose by 46% to 4,460; while in Cheshire East the claimant count also rose by over 45% to 6,010. The claimant count was also high in patches of the Midlands. In South Staffordshire the claimant count rose by 62% to 1,050. This week, a survey revealed that nearly 80% of landlords are set to desert LHA claimants over benefit caps. Read more on 24dash.