'Government Must Do More to End In-Work Poverty'

A think tank has called on the government to do more to end in-work poverty. The Smith Institute has pointed to Department for Work and Pensions figures showing the vast majority of new housing benefit claims have come from employed claimants. Between May 2010 and February 2012 the number of housing benefit claims increased by 252,970, in which around nine in ten (227,640) were from people in low paid work. The think tank said the figures show that falling incomes and rising living costs are pushing people below the poverty line. A spokesperson for the think tank said: ‘In some places, like London, real rents are rising, at the same time real wages are falling.’ Read more on Inside Housing.