Legal News
Housing shortages force councils to relocate families away from London (13 November 2013)
Date: 13/11/2013
Housing shortages in the private sector and benefit caps have forced an increasing number of families to move from central London according to new figures released by Inside Housing magazine.
According to the report, there was a 129% rise in the number of families relocated by London boroughs outside of the capital during the first quarter of the calendar year. Manchester, Bedfordshire and Hastings were among the 69 local authority areas chosen.
Councils prioritised areas just outside London when attempting to find homes for tenants. However, chronic shortages led to 18 families being moved to Birmingham, with a further 26 relocating to Northampton. In total, there were 259 families housed outside the capital between April and June this year, which is more than double the figure for the same period during 2012.
Welfare reforms are being blamed for the trend, with the £500 cap to benefits introduced in April making it even harder for councils to find appropriate private rented accommodation for families in London. Camden council admitted that as many as 761 families could be moved up to 200 miles away due to the changes.
“The rise is due to the interplay between the housing benefits caps and the dynamic of the local housing market,” a spokesperson for London councils said. “It is not as simple as just being a result of welfare reforms and rising homelessness. In many cases it depends on the overall availability of stock.”
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