Friday, 12 July 2013

East Midlands Sees £15m Housing Benefit Cuts

Housing benefit payments in the East Midlands are being cut by more than £15m this year under the government reform of the welfare system.  Figures from 18 of 21 local councils, responding to a BBC Freedom of Information request, show about 22,700 tenants had their benefit reduced. The government said the changes, which reduce help given to tenants with spare rooms, make the system "fairer".  The figures show that 18,340 tenants in the region lost an annual £600 in benefits for having a spare bedroom, while another 4,329 tenants lost about £1,000 for having two or more empty rooms.

Read more on the BBC website.

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