NRLA urges Government to end LHA freeze

The country is broke and already spends around £30 billion per year on Housing Benefit.
That is not sustainable.
With around 2.7 million claimants that’s an average cost of over £10,000 per year per claimant.
Too many people are claiming. Some ‘couples’ choose to live in separate properties and both claim HB. Some both claim disability benefits and have a mobility care each. They claim far more by living separately than if they lived together.
Also, the BRMA areas are too broad. LHA was set at the 30th percentile but what happens is that rents in crappiest houses in the crappiest areas of the BRMA default to LHA rates. This means that no rents fall below the 30th percentile and rent increases become a bit of a self-licking lolly.
The system needs reform. At the moment, everybody is too frightened of being accused of discrimination (just as those calling for a stop to the boats are labelled racist).
I don’t think we’ll see real change until the U.K. is bankrupt and begging the EMF to bail us out. It’s ok, Labour have the application forms already after the Conservative's ‘spend for growth’ plan brought the country to its knees in the 1970s.
Of course, all that was 60 years ago and so the pain will have been forgotten.

Reply to the comment left by C-cider at 12/10/2023 - 09:57
The level of Housing Benefit no longer affects me as all my properties are too expensive for benefit tenants and I am so pleased. The working tenants I now house give me no problems whereas the benefit tenants I used to house were a nighmare.
PS love the concept of a self licking lolly.

Absolutely homelessness in my local cities seem to be getting huge. Imagine how bankrupt the UK will be when Sir Kier gets going

I think one of the concerns of mine is if they took off the freeze, would we see a situation like when they removed stamp duty for the majority of house sales a couple of years back.

Basically, would it be seen that the rents are increased by the amount that LHA goes up leaving tenants in the exact same position.

As much as it is horrible that the country has to pay the large amount of LHA that it does, one of the big issues is that rents are too high and salaries too low for a lot of people to be able to cover the rents all by themselves.

Someone needs to do the sums on how much it's cost in homeless.

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 14/10/2023 - 17:06
Diane Abbott?

Reply to the comment left by TheMaluka at 14/10/2023 - 17:37
Ha ha yes, can u remember when Thérèse Coffey was DWP Minister, she don't even work out how much people needed to earn on the taper with UC etc. Shocking how little these MP's know & get moved again the roles.
Meanwhile, I'm here 26 years later same role, same tenant in same home 26 years later, & same house still there 26 years later. We know what works & what doesn't.