Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of shortfalls between Local Housing Allowance rates and private rents on homelessness prevention in Guildford borough.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters claiming either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit in the private rented sector. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviews LHA rates annually, taking account of factors including market rents across Great Britain, and other government priorities.

Homelessness is driven by a range of complex and interconnected factors and cannot be addressed through welfare policy alone. DWP works closely with MHCLG to make sure the impact of policies on homelessness is considered.

Likewise, employment patterns are driven by wider factors, including local labour market conditions. The Government is supporting people into work through Get Britain Working, the new Jobs and Careers Service and an additional £1.6 billion a year for government funded childcare for working parents. DWP also provides tailored work coach support, skills provision and employment programmes, including Connect to Work, helping people facing complex barriers move into and stay in work.

Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.

Information on the number of households subject to LHA on Universal Credit and if it covers rent, by parliamentary constituency, is available on Stat-Xplore via the Universal Credit official statistics in the ‘Households on Universal Credit’ dataset (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/).