Around 70,000 people are being pursued by bailiffs for council tax arrears following benefit cuts, the Labour Party has claimed.
The party has, according to the Independent newspaper, issued requests under the Freedom of Information Act to all English councils and 143 responded with figures showing 30,761 have been issued with bailiff notices. If extrapolated across England, 70,000 could be affected.
More than half a billion pounds has been spent by London's boroughs on emergency housing since the general election, new figures have revealed.
Local authorities have spent more than £630 million since 2010 on placing people in temporary accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, after they presented themselves as being homeless.
Migrants from the European Union who arrive in the UK without a job are to be denied housing benefit from April, the government has announced.
Additionally, migrants will only be able to claim unemployment benefit for six months unless they have a "genuine" possibility of getting into work.
George Osborne has announced the Conservative Party would cut housing benefit for under-25s after the next election as part of £25billion spending cuts, removing a vital lifeline for many homeless young people who are already struggling financially.
Such a move would be catastrophic for the 6,000 homeless young people Centrepoint supports each year. For many, returning to their family home isn't an option: some would be re-exposed to violence or abuse, for others there would simply be no room for them in already overcrowded accommodation.
Homelessness is sadly becoming a reality for increasing numbers of young people, and plans floated yet again by the prime minister and chancellor this week to abolish housing benefit for under-25s will only make things worse.
There is nothing unusual about someone in their early 20s living with mum and dad in 21st-century Britain. Indeed, in laying out his plans to abolish housing benefit for under-25s, chancellor George Osborne said: "There are plenty of people listening to this programme who can't afford to move out of their home, but there are people on benefits who can get housing benefit under the age of 25."
More young people are at risk of homelessness due to high rents, low benefits and a lack of decent housing, homelessness charity Crisis has warned.
As the charity opens its 'Crisis at Christmas' centres today, it is launching 'Shut Out', a new campaign calling for more to be done to stop young people becoming homeless.
David Cameron has rejected a proposal from a senior Conservative MP to limit child benefit to two children for every family.
Nadhim Zahawi, a member of the No 10 Policy Board, called for child benefit and child tax credits to available only for a family’s first two children.
Changes to benefits payments have led to difficulties letting affordable homes and may stop hundreds more being built every year, research suggests.
Community Housing Cymru (CHC), which represents housing associations, reports problems letting 700 homes.
Ahead of an Opposition Day Debate in the House of Commons, charity Citizens Advice has warned that changes to Housing Benefit are “simply creating more problems”.
The Housing Benefit reform, which came into effect in April this year, is aiming to cut costs by restricting the size of accommodation a family can receive Housing Benefit for.
NEARLY 200 people have signed a petition calling for the ‘bedroom tax’ to be scrapped – with protestors urging Councils to debate the issue.
Last Thursday, an organised protest group set up in Angel Place to ask passers-by if they would add their support to the campaign.