London borough warns benefit cap could push 1,000 children into poverty

Research carried out by the council suggests that lowering the benefit cap by £3,000 to £23,000 a year per family will impact nearly 6000 homes in the borough. The new policy would see £1.6 million in lost Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance, which will affect up to 1,000 children

Cllr Andy Hull, Islington Council's executive member for finance and performance, criticised the proposed policy for not taking into account the differences in property prices around the UK. He said: “This national, one-size-fits-all policy takes no account of local realities. Rents in London are much higher than elsewhere, and yet the same caps and cuts apply. With such a shortage of affordable housing in the capital, cutting the benefit cap won’t drive down rents; it will just drive people into poverty.”

He added: “We will do our best to support struggling families in our community, but there’s a limit to our ability to shoulder the burden of government cuts and shield residents from their impact.”

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