Borough worst hit by housing benefit cap revealed as more than 4,000 families in west London affected

Thousands of west London families have had their housing benefit capped and Brent is one of the worst affected spots in the country.

According to the latest figures available from March 2017, more than 4,000 families in west London have had their housing benefit capped by up to £400 per week since the benefit cap was introduced in 2013.

With 1,356 families affected, Brent is not only the London borough hit hardest by the changes but one of the worst in the country, second only to parts of Birmingham.

At least five of the Brent households affected had their benefit capped by
£350 to £400, when only 40 families around Britain have had their Housing Benefit restricted by such an amount.

Brent Councillor Harbi Farah, cabinet member for Housing and Welfare Reform, said: “The government’s benefits cuts have affected Brent residents more than almost anywhere else in the UK.

"High rents and a lack of affordable accommodation, due to London’s overheated property market, are part of the problem but the government has only made matters worse by reducing the benefit cap further.

"The council is working hard to help residents to beat the benefit cap by finding work or increasing hours at work or by moving to more affordable accommodation.

"We have a range of support services which people can access through our website and we are doing everything we can to help people find or protect their home."

Over the past four years, a total of 15,188 households in west London
have had the benefit cap applied to their Housing Benefit at some
point.

The benefit cap was introduced by the last coalition government and
means that no family in London can get more than £23,000 in benefits,
or £442.31 per week.

There is a "London allowance" of an extra £3,000 to the cap compared
to the rest of Britain.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "We are committed to helping people into work and we have a record employment rate of 75.3%.

"The benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into a job, even if it is part time, as anyone eligible for working tax credits is exempt.

"Even with the new cap, people can still receive benefits up to the equivalent gross salary of £29,000 in London."

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