Households in social housing could fall into fuel poverty because of government cuts to benefits and increased rents according to the New Local Government Network.
The Government has recently announced a 10 per cent cut in the council tax benefit budget, and have also said that those claiming jobseekers allowance for over a year will have their housing benefit cut by 10 per cent. There are currently 3.1 million social housing residents in receipt of means tested benefits in England, including 2.7 million who receive housing benefits. Around 4.9 million across all tenures receive council tax benefit, and a high proportion of social housing tenants are likely to qualify for this owing to their low incomes
The NLGN has warned that 1.1 million households could be affected by the cuts combined with plans to charge 80% of private sector rent for new social housing tenants.
Read more on BENEFIT CUTS AND RISING RENTS LEADING TO FUEL POVERTY WARNS THINKTANK…