To: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Local Housing Allowance must Match Housing Costs and Needs
Since the Broad Rental Market Areas were created in 2008 at a time when there was significant depression in the housing market, housing prices have shifted making some areas and types of suitable accommodation unaffordable for private tenants. This would not be a problem if people had a choice between social housing and private housing, which they do not, due to the lack of social housing. This especially affects anyone with a disability who may need adapted housing such as wheelchair access or anyone who needs to live close to friends or family who can offer regular support.
The banding is currently inequitable in my view and in the view of housing and disability charities such as Shelter. I am creating this campaign to ask you to revise the way that local housing allowance is assessed, so that it accurately reflects the actual current cost of housing in any given area. This would mean that people on benefits are not required to use their other benefits to subsidise their rent, putting them at risk of increased poverty and possible homelessness.
Why is this important?
If you are privately renting and on benefits you will be able to claim Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the problem is that unless you are very lucky it won't cover your rent. Sometimes this is because where you live has been banded with another area where housing is cheaper. The fact that your area, even it is in another town, has higher rental prices won't affect how much you get.
The immediate effect is that you will be paying the difference between your allowance and rent out of your other benefits. This means that even if you are disabled and have certain requirements like being on the ground floor, need wheelchair access or need friends or relatives to visit you every day, you are massively disadvantaged by this system. Just imagine if your relative needed your help everyday but couldn't get it because they couldn't afford to live locally or you couldn't find a home that meant you could live independently?
If you lived in my town you would receive over £230 less than another town which is just under 4 miles away and is in fact in the same band as another town which is just over 9 miles away. This doesn't make sense does it? This is called the Broad Rental Market Area and it doesn't reflect actual housing costs. Where I live it costs more to rent than in either of these areas!
I am asking that you join my campaign to have the local housing allowance banding overhauled and made to reflect local housing costs. This will help people who are already vulnerable, living on benefits and having to pay more for their rent than the current system acknowledges. I am also asking that the LHA does take into account disability needs - currently it does not.
Please don't say: It will only go to property investors.
Do say: Ask the goverment to make it work fairly.
How it will be delivered
In person
