London council to send poorest families to Coventry

[dutchman]

A north London council could solve a high-rent housing crisis by sending its poorest families to live in Coventry.



More than 3,000 people in Brent will be unable to pay their rent when a new £500 per week benefit cap is introduced next April.

Brent Council plans to rehome as many affected families as possible in lower-rent areas near London, including Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

But housing chiefs in the London borough are also looking to strike deals with private landlords in Coventry, Birmingham and Swindon, where rents are even cheaper.

A report to the council’s executive said: “With the introduction of the overall benefit cap in April 2013, benefits are to be capped at £500 a week – this includes all benefits including housing benefit.

“The Department for Work and Pensions states that approximately 3,000 families will be affected in Brent and for these, rents will no longer be affordable.

“For example, a couple with three children on Universal Credit will have a personal allowance of £332.

“With benefits capped at £500, their maximum rent allowance will be £168.

“The local housing allowance rent for a three-bed property in the south of the borough is £340 per week, leaving a weekly shortfall of £172.

“In this example the household will lose nearly £9,000 per year.

“The largest households will lose substantially more.”

According to tables produced by Brent Council, a family of two adults and three children could afford to live in a three or four bed house in Coventry within the benefit cap.

Only families with four children would still struggle to afford a suitable property in Coventry.

Coventry city councillor Ed Ruane, cabinet member for housing said: “Coventry City Council has not been contacted by Brent Council about housing their residents in Coventry.

“I’m fully aware of the housing pressures in Coventry and I would never agree to housing residents from other local authorities knowing the enormous burden we are already under here in Coventry.”

Earlier this year almost 20,000 people were still on the waiting list for a home in Coventry - and almost 10 per cent were in urgent or extremely urgent need.

In July a Coventry homeless campaigner claimed the system was “on the verge of collapse”.

A report showed 2,299 applicants were found a home in Coventry last year but revealed a shortage of properties for larger families.

The Telegraph has also revealed a staggering 752 families had applied to rent one three-bed house in Coventry.

[rebbonk]

20,000 people were still on the waiting list for a home in Coventry

I don't see why we should be taking other council's problems when we have so many of our own.