Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will increase support to tackle housing poverty in York and other areas where Broad Rental Market Areas covers a wide geographical area.

A broad rental market area (BRMA) is an area within which a person could reasonably be expected to live, taking in to account access to facilities and services. The boundaries are not based on local authorities or Parliamentary constituencies and within each of the 192 BRMA’s there will be variation in rents reflecting local conditions.

We increased support for private renters by boosting investment in the Local Housing Allowance by nearly £1 billion in 2020-21, providing 1.5 million households with an average of £600 more housing support than they would have otherwise received. We have maintained rates at their increased levels, ensuring all those who benefit from the increase continue to do so.

For those who need further financial support with their housing costs Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are available from local authorities. Since 2011, we have provided almost £1.5 billion in DHP funding.

As announced in the Spring Statement, the government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need. From April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.