Local Housing Allowance Rates 2026-04-13
2026-04-13
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The local housing allowance has been frozen [6D [K frozen for years, causing a significant gap between the allowance and actua [5D [K actual rental costs in South Devon. A family of four receives only £840 per [3D [K per month while average rent is over £1,100 for a three-bedroom home.
Years of freezes to local housing allowance by su [2D [K successive Governments mean that it goes nowhere near covering the cost of [K social housing, let alone renting privately. In my constituency, the averag [6D [K average rent for a three-bedroom home can be well over £1,100 a month, but [K a family of four will receive only £840 a month. Poor and temporary housing [7D [K housing is a key driver of child poverty, so it is really important that we [2D [K we resolve that. Will the Minister commit to working with the Department fo [2D [K for Work and Pensions to unfreeze local housing allowance so that we can li [2D [K lift children out of deep poverty?
We obviously keep the local housing allowance under [5D [K under review along with the DWP. If we want to prevent homelessness, we nee [3D [K need to build homes and ensure that people can afford them. That is why the [3D [K the Chancellor's investment of £39 billion to build the social housing that [4D [K that we need is a crucial part of ensuring that families can get housed pro [3D [K properly in this country in the future.
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Assessment & feedback
Commitment to unfreeze local housing allowance
We Keep It Under Review
Focus On Building H [1D [K Homes
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The local housing allowance has been frozen [6D [K frozen for years, causing a significant gap between the allowance and actua [5D [K actual rental costs in South Devon. A family of four receives only £840 per [3D [K per month while average rent is over £1,100 for a three-bedroom home.
Years of freezes to local housing allowance by su [2D [K successive Governments mean that it goes nowhere near covering the cost of [K social housing, let alone renting privately. In my constituency, the averag [6D [K average rent for a three-bedroom home can be well over £1,100 a month, but [K a family of four will receive only £840 a month. Poor and temporary housing [7D [K housing is a key driver of child poverty, so it is really important that we [2D [K we resolve that. Will the Minister commit to working with the Department fo [2D [K for Work and Pensions to unfreeze local housing allowance so that we can li [2D [K lift children out of deep poverty?
In my previous role and in my current role I have w [1D [K worked very closely across MHCLG and DWP to see the interactions between po [2D [K poverty and homelessness, as I said. We spend £34 billion annually on housi [5D [K housing support through social security, including £12 billion on the priva [5D [K private rented sector. As part of the child poverty strategy, we have lifte [5D [K lifted the two-child limit, which will help families—particularly larger fa [2D [K families—to stay in homes. We are helping parents with childcare costs, we [K have brought in the fair repayment rate so that people do not need to get i [1D [K into unnecessary debt, and we have increased the standard allowance of univ [4D [K universal credit above inflation for the first time in as long as anyone ca [2D [K can remember. Those are big steps to help family income, and we should all [K be proud of them.
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Assessment & feedback
Commitment to unfreeze local housing allowance
Big Steps Taken
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The gap between average rents and wages in [K Poole is among the widest in the country. Freezing the local housing allowa [6D [K allowance has clearly made that position worse.
The gap between average rents and wages in Poole [K is among the widest in the country. Freezing the local housing allowance ha [2D [K has clearly made that position worse. Will the Minister outline when the fr [2D [K freeze will end and when we will see the allowance increase to reflect the [K actual housing costs that people face?
We obviously keep the local housing allowance under [5D [K under review along with the DWP. If we want to prevent homelessness, we nee [3D [K need to build homes and ensure that people can afford them. That is why the [3D [K the Chancellor's investment of £39 billion to build the social housing that [4D [K that we need is a crucial part of ensuring that families can get housed pro [3D [K properly in this country in the future.
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Assessment & feedback
When freeze will end and when allowance will refl [4D [K reflect actual costs
We Keep It Under Review
Focus On Building H [1D [K Homes
Response accuracy