Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Benefit cap to force Haringey families from temporary homes
A London borough has found hundreds of families in temporary accommodation in its area could be made homeless by the government’s welfare reforms.
Haringey Council is warning that up to 800 families in private rented housing and 300 families in social rented housing could be forced out when the £500 a week benefit cap is introduced in 2013.
Tags for Forum Posts: benefits cap, housing
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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That's 2% of the borough's population affected (1100 families with average 4 members each > 4400/225000 pop.) Which is significant.
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Permalink Reply by Inkjetpack on
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Effects mapped nationwide: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jan/01/available-rente....
Need to bring in a multi point action plan to mitigate against this:
1) Beef up tenants rights and shift market to long term European style leases;
2) Reintroduce rent controls/protected tenancies;
3) Build new social housing with focus on social cohension;
4) Accelerate move of government jobs out of south east and incentivise private companies to do the same using carrot and stick – there is more than ample housing stock elsewhere and slack in regional labour markets;
5) Tax companies with land banks/change tax system to reduce property speculation;
6) End leasehold system;
7) Increase minimum wage in London to the Living Wage threshold.
The council also needs to remove the perverse incentives for private landlords to charge higher rents for those most in need. I knew someone who was rehoused by Haringey in a grotty 2 bed place locally who was charged higher B&B rates through the landlord supplying the tenant (who was entitled to Housing Benefit) with a box of dried Tesco value goods on a weekly basis.
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