Fewer social housing claims drives drop in housing benefit numbers

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

There has been a rise in the number workers claiming housing benefit - despite a fall in overall claims driven by a significant drop in the number claimants in the social rented sector.

Latest figures for April, published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), show the claimant count across both private and social sectors fell by 1,950 to 5.013m, despite another rise in private rented sector claimants of 1,070.

The fall was instigated by a significant drop in claims from the social rented sector with 3,000 fewer being recorded.

There are now 3.372m social rented sector HB recipients, compared to 1.637m in the private rented sector.

Despite this, the number of workers claiming housing benefit rose by 8,160 in April to 891,050.

In March, analysis of Government figures by housing research charity BSHF revealed that working households have accounted for over 90% of the increase in the number of housing benefit claimants in the last two years.

While the Government's stated aim of welfare reform is to make people better off in work than on benefits, the BSHF analysis shows that the vast majority of new claimants are already in work.