THE number of working people in Thurrock claiming housing benefit has rocketed by 70% in three years claims Thurrock Labour’s Polly Billington.
It’s part of a wider trend where nationally the number of working people claiming housing benefit is set to rise by 20 per cent, adding £1.3 billion to the housing benefit bill. There could be as many as 1.1 million working people claiming support to pay their rent by 2020 if current policies continue.
Official figures from the House of Commons show more than a thousand more Thurrock residents in work are not earning enough to pay their own rent. The number has risen from 1,549 to 2,633 between 2011 and 2014.
Polly Billington, said “While wages stand still and rents rise, it’s no surprise people are struggling. It is shocking that the number of working people having to rely on housing benefit has increased by 70% under this Tory-led government. It shows that the Tories have failed to tackle the cost of living crisis and rising housing costs. And working families in Thurrock are bearing the brunt of it.”
She went on to say, “A Labour government will tackle the root causes of rising spending; low pay and high housing costs. A Labour government will raise the national minimum wage to £8 an hour before 2020, give tax rebates to firms who pay a Living Wage and build at least 200,000 homes a year by 2020. That’s the way to control the housing benefit bill.”
