A CHARITY is backing North West TUC figures which show that thousands of people on housing benefit in the Region will be hit hard by Coalition cuts.
It says 130,000 people in the region will be up to £10 a week worse off – figures which the TUC first revealed on August 3rd.
This is the full text of a press release issued today by Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people:
New figures reveal the full impact that cuts to housing benefit will have on people in the North West.
Thousands of people in the region face debt and homelessness if the Government goes ahead with planned cuts, warns Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.
The Government announced cuts of £1.8bn to housing benefit in its emergency Budget soon after coming to power. According to an impact assessment by the Department of Work and Pensions, virtually all of the 131,180 households in the region reliant on Local Housing Allowance (LHA)-the form of housing benefit paid to tenants in the Private Rented Sector-will be affected. This represents the largest number of people affected for any region outside London. On average, claimants in the North West will see their LHA cut by £10 per week, or £520 per year.
These cuts will leave tenants falling into rent arrears and increasing debt or being forced to leave their homes and at worst becoming homeless.
For people living in one bed properties, those in Manchester, Salford, Liverpool and St Helens will be especially badly affected. In St Helens, those living in one bedroom flats will have their support cut by £780 per year. In Manchester and Salford, the cuts to those in 1 bed flats will be £624 and £676 respectively.
Although the impact of the cuts on individual claimants is somewhat smaller in Liverpool (£468 per 1 bed flat), the cuts will affect 12,620 households of all sizes in the city-the fourth largest total after London, Birmingham and Leeds. Similarly, in Blackpool the cut to each 1 bed flat is not as high as in some other areas (£416) but 12,420 households will be affected by reductions for all people on LHA.
The number of households of all sizes affected in St Helens, Manchester and Salford is as follows:
- 3720 households in St Helens
- 10210 households in Manchester
- 5470 households in Salford
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “The Government promised that in cutting the deficit it would protect the most vulnerable, but these figures show that thousands of those who are in greatest need will have their income hit when they can least afford it.
“As vulnerable private tenants see their income slashed they will inevitably fall into rent arrears or debt and face the spectre of homelessness. The Government must totally rethink these cuts now.
“Not only would a surge in homelessness cause damage for generations to come in the North West, it is also counter-productive. The costs to society of somebody who has lost their home are huge compared to keeping someone in accommodation.”
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- BENEFIT CUTS: WE REVEAL THE TOP TEN WORST HIT IN THE NORTH WEST, AS 130,000 FAMILIES ARE LEFT WORSE OFF
- Working women from North West worst hit by cuts in public services
- NORTH WEST FAMILIES TO LOSE £1,284 A YEAR AS REGION HIT HARDEST BY COALITION CUTS
- Barber backs ‘Proud to serve the public’ campaign at North West TUC conference
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'Proud to serve the public’ is a North West TUC campaign to protect and promote public services in our Region. We believe public services are a vital part of the North West economy. They create jobs, stimulate growth and... 
