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One in five claiming housing benefit
Tuesday 3rd November 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
One in five people in the West Midlands are claiming from the state for their rent, new figures reveal today.
They show 18.3 per cent of households are dependent on housing benefit.
Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall are among the hot spots in the region, with around a quarter of all families reliant on the benefit.
All three areas have seen an increase in the proportion of claimants in the last two years.
The percentage of all households on the benefit in Sandwell has risen from 24.6 per cent in August 2007 to 26.2 per cent in May 2009, from 24.1 per cent to 26 per cent in Wolverhampton, and 21.1 per cent to 23 per cent in Walsall.
In Dudley, there has been a slight increase from 16.5 per cent to 16.7 per cent during the same period.
Across Britain, almost 18 per cent of homes are dependent on the benefit. In some areas such as Hackney (42 per cent) and Tower Hamlets (38 per cent) in London, housing benefit claimants account for four in 10 of all households.
The average housing benefit payment is worth £81.03 a week – more than the standard rates for Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support (£64.30). The annual cost of housing benefit has risen by £2.7 billion since 1997. In total the Government has spent £180 billion on housing benefit since then.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May said: “These are truly shocking figures.”
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What do you want?-Homeless people? There are some out there who could work but there are also geniune unemployed. Take a look at the state of the economy? Tell you what la la land our ministers live in. If those figures are shocking Theresa May then you want to get out more and learn your job!
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People claim that Labour are the party of the working classes.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
All this shows is that they keep people where they are. Increase their dependancy on benefits and handouts. Decrease what they call ‘social mobility’.
12 years of Labour and all we get is more people who rely on the state to support them.
Why not give people genuine incentives to work and see what happens rather than bribe them with little handouts to encourage people to vote for them.
Winter allowance, free swimming, free bus passes, tax credits, housing benefit, child benefit.
You pay for all of them, then thank the government they give you a little bit back.
Isn’t it about time people started questioning how THEIR money is spent?
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Brian – “Shadow” ministers are not ministers; it’s the term given to MPs from the opposition who provide comment and critique of government performance and policy. A vital opposition is essential to a democracy.
In other words: Theresa May is not a minister. She’s a Tory, so still lives in cloud cuckoo land nevertheless.
David,
Does giving “People genuine incentives to work” include wages? What have wages got to do with governments, other than the minimum wage? Let’s see…. which party introduced the minimum wage… Ah yes. The Labour Party.
Are you suggesting that a Conservative government that is proposing cuts, cuts and more cuts to “balance the books” (as if government books are ever balanced, or ever should be) would ever for a second think about improving the lot of people who don’t vote for them?
If you are, you are seriously, seriously gullible.
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The last 2 times labour have lost power they have left the country broke.When brown shuts the door at no10 for the last time and heads of to the euro parliament gravy train to sit with Blair and Kinnock, Do you really believe he will bother that he leaves a country once again begging for hand outs.A end to boom and bust, well a end to boom at least he got half of it right.LABOUR THE PARTY FOR SHERKERS
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“These are truly shocking figures.”
Oh, so you’re shocked at the figures..yet not shocked at the “figures” that got people into this mess in the first place?! Alas, let’s get shocked at “figures” because maybe we know that we can attack the unemployed much easier by treating them like numbers..
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“in London, housing benefit claimants account for four in 10 of all households.”
..and in London, renting and buying property is astronomical.
The banks..and the politicians..got this country into this mess. Instead of being “shocked” at the result, focus on the damn cause of it..no amount of forcing people to starve, or packing them off on useless New Deal schemes will fool all the people all the time.
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If you’ve got a lump in your breast..do you stay persistently shocked at the lump – or do you investigate (and aim to deal with), the cause? The amount of money spent on these situations is miniscule compared to the amount of money spent on banks, wars and picking up the mess left by the people we elect to look after our interest. If you don’t give people the right kind of opportunity and support then you get the kind of society you deserve.
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dear number 2 iv been jobless from january iv been retrained and iv got a job waiting once iv got my city and guilds level 2 the goverment wants us to be safe they look after us when we down and when we up we help out by paying tax but thoes who have been in the persition of good fortune and had family to fall back on while they waited to find a job then good for you but when you are on your own all your savings whats left have gone whos to turn two ???? the goverment is there to help and surport what ever has happend in life and by take housing benerfit away nearly half the people who get rent surpot and thoes who are in work will lose out and thoes old pensions wont be able to afford there rents ???? please people think before you reply
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The figures are pretty meaningless for me. Are these 1 in 5 who claim housing benefit a 1 in 5 of total households (which would make the figure irrelevant) or 1 in 5 of those who rent?
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This is a direct result of another of Thatcher’s gems! Right to buy.
The social housing stok that was depleted because of this was never replaced, therefore creating a shortage of affordable rented social housing and allowing the greedy “fat cat2 private landlord to exploit people with OTT rents.
hence why more folk need to claim Housing Benefit. simple solution make the fat cats pay more tax and build more council houses with affordable rents.
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Socialist – but you would say that wouldn’t you?
Still blaming Thatcher for things that happened 20 years ago? Stop living in the past.
Labour have governed the country for 12 (long) years. How about you start questioning why they have done so little to solve this problem?
12 years is a long time. Over that time the problem has got worse not better.
Labour have offered no solutions. They have been clueless for 12 years.
It’s about time even their die hard supporters gave up on them. I mean, why would anyone vote for Labour after they’ve achieved SO little over SUCH a long time?
Vote Lib dem or UKIP if you want, but why bother sticking with Labour after what they’ve done to the country?
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This is nothing new anyway. People have been claiming these benefits since i was a kid and thats quite a few years ago. It’s only being highlighted now to make the government look bad. Theses benefits have been paid out before thatchers government.
David you say we shouldn’t live in the past. You are quite right but the past does show us where we went wrong. Trouble is our stupid Politicians never learn from it. They always like to throw blame out, and rightly so to the current government, sometimes forgetting this happened before under other governments. Life ia a constant circle and so is politics. If David Cameron wins, or any other party for that matter we will have the same problems in another ten years. David-the problem has never been solved and never will be. It’s all too easy to throw money at it and hope it goes away.
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On the one hand we have people apparently shocked at the figures..and on the other we have the West Midlands Low Pay Unit – where is the correlation between the two? That’s right..it’s missing. All we see is people being put down and kept there, it’s been going on for years here with no real left, middle or right. It’s a pitiful state of affairs and it keeps people in poverty whilst denying them the opportunities and investement other countries take for granted. If you’re born in Sandwell you effectively have two choices: leave or live in a gutter, and be treated like dirt. I’ve worked hard all my life but this place hs no interest in anyone that wants something better than what they are given, and what people are given amounts to practically nothing of long-term value. I feel so let down.
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WE work until mid June for no pay – as all our income until then is paid away in tax.
For amongst othr things pure wate on peolple who can work and deserv the dignity to work.
The whole system Labour have encouraged is designed tokeep people out of work and dependent upon hand outs.
Long term unemployed should be paid to work and gain skills with employers given tax breaks to establish the roles
Tax on low pay should be removed to raise the painful benefit trap.
No one under 21 should be on the dole – education or armed forces
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Number 10 – yes, council housing can be built for low rent. But is that a return on tapayers money?
And would that prevent the people living in them claiming housing benefit?
Landlords get taxed plenty already. Until interest rates become as low as they are now the rent often barely covered the mortgage, never mind other costs.
One the one hand the government want people to invest money (and tax them), on the other they don’t like it when housing benefit is paid out. Go figure.
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