Responding to the Chancellor's Budget, Paul Kissack, Chief
Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:
“Today's actions alone won't be enough to fix the foundations for
millions who struggle winter after winter in devastating
hardship. The Chancellor is right that change must be felt. The
people who needed to feel the most change are those living in and
at risk of hardship.
“Limiting the devastating impact of deductions is a good step.
There was also welcome investment in social homes, help for
carers to work and care, and a rise in the minimum wage.
“It's deeply worrying that we haven't seen changes to social
security that will seriously bring down hardship. In particular
private renters will feel let down by the choice to keep Local
Housing Allowance frozen means that it will become further out of
step with local rent levels, which have soared in recent years.
“People receiving sickness benefits also face a fearful future at
a time when almost two thirds of those experiencing destitution
have a long term health condition. The government has failed to
explain how they will save £3bn from the benefits bill and will
offer no certainty and more anxiety rather than the respect they
deserve”.
JRF has been calling on the Chancellor to use this Budget to:
- Improve Universal Credit by embedding a minimum
floor into the system, drawing a line below which a
Universal Credit payment cannot fall. This would include
restricting the amount of deductions taken from benefit payments.
- Permanently link Local Housing Allowance
(the rate that sets housing benefit levels for private renters)
to local rent levels. This allowance is currently frozen and will
remain frozen unless the government explicitly chooses to
unfreeze it and link it to local rents.
- Extend funding for local welfare assistance through the
Household Support Fund, which needs to have its
funding for 2025/26 confirmed and needs to be sustained while the
system is reformed.
- Scrap the previous Government's planned deep benefit cuts for
disabled people, which would push many into hardship.
Notes to Editors
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Stop the freeze:
permanently re-link housing benefits to private rents | Joseph
Rowntree Foundation
