A new battle on welfare reform is facing the Government in the Lords. Its outcome will affect families on housing benefit who are in private rental accommodation.
The Welfare Reform Bill, currently going through the Lords, is due to cap total benefits for working age households at £26,000 a year. The total benefits payment would include the present Local Housing Allowance, paid to housing benefit tenants in private rented accommodation.
But a number of peers fear this would disproportionately hit larger families with children in temporary and private rented accommodation.
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds has tabled an amendment which would exclude child benefit for the purposes of the cap.
It is expected to go before the Lords on January 23, and is likely to gain widespread support, including from Liberal Democrat peers who have previously rebelled against the Government.
Crossbench peer Lord Richard Best is supporting the amendment.
He said: “I don’t think it’s conceivable for families with children to be evicted and become destitute because a benefit cap means there’s nowhere they can afford to live.”
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