FIGURES show that in the first 11 weeks of recent welfare reforms Kirklees households have fallen £132,431 into arrears.
And the council is predicting that figure may rise to £600,000 within 12 months.
It’s the result of a government measure to tackle social housing problems.
The government says people should get housing benefit to cover their own need, not their house. It was hoped that some would leave bigger family homes to move into smaller accommodation. That, in turn, would release a property for some of the 15,000 currently on the social housing waiting list.
But it’s not worked as well as the government had hoped. While some have moved, others have been unable to find suitable homes. Others cannot afford the increase in rent since their housing benefit was cut.
Many of the households affected are low earning working people and they are finding it difficult to find an extra £9 or £15 a week.
It is right people receive the help they need when facing a housing crisis – the cost of homelessness to society is far too great.
Kirklees Council faces a dilemma. Unable to change the government’s direction alone, they face having to find a way to deal with this locally. On Wednesday councillors will highlight the problem in the hope of finding a solution. What do they do? Do they write off the arrears or go through the expense of evictions and then pick up the cost of homelessness?
There isn’t an easy answer, but it’s clear that one is needed before people find themselves even more in debt.
