During oral questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 23 January, Stephen urged the Government to increase Local Housing Allowance rates.
In November, the Government uprated most benefits and the benefit cap in line with inflation. However, the local housing allowance for the private rented sector remained frozen at rates set in 2020, based on rates in the year up to September 2019.
58% of Universal Credit households in the private rented sector face a shortfall between their actual rent and the maximum covered by LHA. This is at a time when rents are continuing to rise - Rightmove reported last Autumn that rents in London had increased by 16% in a year.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen asked the Work and Pensions Secretary “will Ministers look again in the Budget at the level of Local Housing Allowance for the coming financial year?”
You can watch Stephen’s full question, and the Minister’s response, below.