Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

[Legal Beagles]

Families on the brink: welfare reform in London* ( DOWNLOAD REPORT ) London has the highest child poverty rates and highest housing costs in the UK. This means that the capital has been hit particularly hard by changes to the benefits system, particularly cuts to housing benefit. London households have lost almost £7 per week […]

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[Amethyst]

Re: Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

Key points
􀀀 The toxic combination of low-paid work and extremely high housing
and childcare costs alongside welfare reform means that many
families face the choice between extreme poverty and leaving London.
􀀀 London has been hit harder than other parts of the country by
changes to housing benefit. Households in London, on average, are
hit 22 per cent harder, losing almost £7 more per week than
households outside London. Almost half of capped households live
in London.
􀀀 Housing benefit is no longer fully responsive to rents, meaning that
the pool of properties affordable to people claiming housing benefit
is getting smaller and smaller. Sixteen London boroughs already have
more households claiming housing benefit than affordable properties.
As rents continue to rise faster than benefit allowances, the pool of
affordable properties will get smaller.
􀀀 High childcare costs mean that financial work incentives in London are
weaker than in other parts of the country. A parent with four children
working part time and paying average childcare costs in London is
£65 worse off per week than the same family outside London.
􀀀 Financial work incentives alone have not been sufficient to enable
parents to enter employment. Only 13 per cent of households hit by
the benefit cap have started work, despite the fact that starting work
means that they are no longer capped. Many families affected are
still struggling to view employment as a viable solution, especially
large families or those with very young children.
􀀀 Councils are struggling to house homeless families in the borough or
even in London. There has been a 1,000 per cent increase in
placements outside London between 2011/12 and 2013/14. Councils
are grappling with how they will be able to continue to house families
in the area in the future as rents continue to rise faster than housing
benefit and their ability to provide financial support beyond 2015 is
uncertain.
􀀀 Intensive action by councils and other services and funding for
discretionary housing payments have, for the most part, avoided a
crisis in London. However, this has left families in uncertainty, relying
on discretionary, short-term support rather than regular mainstream
support. The full effects of these changes have not yet been felt.
􀀀 There is an increase in discretion and variation in support available to
households, creating a potential postcode lottery. Boroughs have
introduced individual schemes for council tax reduction, discretionary
housing payments and local welfare provision. This means that two
families in the same situation, but living in different boroughs, could
be awarded different levels of support.

[wales01man]

Re: Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

Election next year!
Politicians will be running round to inform us all that when they are elected in 2015 they will end the poverty at a stroke put everyone first with decent wages decent housing and the world will be full of Joy.
Sorry Dreaming

[Amethyst]

Re: Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

We Need the minimum wage to be a Living Wage - that will help matters considerably.

PLUS the government need to stop shoring up businesses by bumping everyone's income to the same level as it gives no incentive for improvement.

[Mr $quanda£ot]

Re: Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

Minimum wage should vary by a region or, at the very least, have some sort of London weighting.

However, it appears to be the government's intention of moving people who rely on the Social and benefits to other parts of the country.

As for the London housing market, eventually it will correct itself. So much is talked about 'shortage of properties'. This is nonsense. The system simply doesn't work. Why are there so many empty properties or flats/houses that are occupied only occasionally? Even in my small block of 11, one flat is normally empty as the owners are in Israel. Empty homes should be taxed at 10 x the regular council tax. I'm sure that would discourage this selfish practice.

As now more and more jobs can be done remotely, attractiveness of London may start to decrease. I'm sure Sharon (co-owner of this site) would agree that living outside of the Capital is much nicer and more cost-effective when working from home!

[Amethyst]

Re: Families on the brink: welfare reform in London | Child Poverty Action Group

http://www.livingwage.org.uk/

£8.80 for London
£7.65 everywhere else


These employers already do it





























and bout 370 others.... http://www.livingwage.org.uk/employers