Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
25th April 2012, 10:02
The government has defended its housing benefit cap after it emerged London's Newham council was trying to find homes for some families 160 miles away.
The council has been accused of "social cleansing", but its mayor said it was trying to find the best solution.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said there were "thousands of houses" within five miles of Newham which fell within the cap.
Westminster council is also understood to be considering a similar proposal.
As part of its welfare reforms, the government has introduced weekly caps on housing benefit of between £250 for a one-bedroom flat and £400 for a four-bedroom property.
Local Housing Allowance, which is used to determine housing benefit payments, has also been changed so it is being calculated on the basis of cheaper rents - rather than on the mid-point of rents in an area.
Labour-controlled Newham Council runs one of London's poorest boroughs in the east of the city - which is home to much of the new 500-acre Olympic Park.
It has written to Brighter Futures Housing Association in Stoke-on-Trent, offering it the "opportunity" to lease it homes for up to 500 families on housing benefit.
It says the local private rental sector in Newham is beginning to "overheat" because of the "onset of the Olympic Games and the buoyant young professionals market", and it can no longer afford to house tenants on its waiting list in private accommodation.
Newham Council is offering to pay Brighter Futures 90% of the local housing allowance plus £60 per week.
But Brighter Futures chief executive officer Gill Brown says she will not agree to the request: "I think there is a real issue of social cleansing going on.
"We are very anxious about this letter which we believe signals the start of a movement which could see thousands of needy people dumped in Stoke with no proper plan for their support or their welfare."
Housing benefit changes: Impact on number of available properties
Top five areas Property loss Source: Chartered Institute of Housing research, Jan 2012
1. Westminster
20,700
2. Birmingham
14,200
3. Kensington and Chelsea
14,100
4. Glasgow City
10,120
5. Camden
10,000
Total: England, Scotland, Wales
800,000
More on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17821018
The council has been accused of "social cleansing", but its mayor said it was trying to find the best solution.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said there were "thousands of houses" within five miles of Newham which fell within the cap.
Westminster council is also understood to be considering a similar proposal.
As part of its welfare reforms, the government has introduced weekly caps on housing benefit of between £250 for a one-bedroom flat and £400 for a four-bedroom property.
Local Housing Allowance, which is used to determine housing benefit payments, has also been changed so it is being calculated on the basis of cheaper rents - rather than on the mid-point of rents in an area.
Labour-controlled Newham Council runs one of London's poorest boroughs in the east of the city - which is home to much of the new 500-acre Olympic Park.
It has written to Brighter Futures Housing Association in Stoke-on-Trent, offering it the "opportunity" to lease it homes for up to 500 families on housing benefit.
It says the local private rental sector in Newham is beginning to "overheat" because of the "onset of the Olympic Games and the buoyant young professionals market", and it can no longer afford to house tenants on its waiting list in private accommodation.
Newham Council is offering to pay Brighter Futures 90% of the local housing allowance plus £60 per week.
But Brighter Futures chief executive officer Gill Brown says she will not agree to the request: "I think there is a real issue of social cleansing going on.
"We are very anxious about this letter which we believe signals the start of a movement which could see thousands of needy people dumped in Stoke with no proper plan for their support or their welfare."
Housing benefit changes: Impact on number of available properties
Top five areas Property loss Source: Chartered Institute of Housing research, Jan 2012
1. Westminster
20,700
2. Birmingham
14,200
3. Kensington and Chelsea
14,100
4. Glasgow City
10,120
5. Camden
10,000
Total: England, Scotland, Wales
800,000
More on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17821018