Tackle "woeful stock" of affordable homes to get Housing Benefit bill down safely

The Chief Executive of Citizens Advice has warned that reforms to Housing Benefit "cannot be done safely" without urgent action to increase the availability of affordable homes, following Court of Appeal rulings on two of the Government's welfare reforms earlier today.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive, Gillian Guy, said:

"The Government's changes to Housing Benefit cannot be done safely without first sorting out our woeful stock of affordable housing. Ninety six per cent of people affected by size restrictions have no smaller home available to move into in order to avoid the extra cost. At the end of 2013 one in five Citizens Advice clients affected by new under-occupancy rules was in housing arrears.

"For many sick and disabled people an extra room in their house is vital to them being able to live independently.  Alongside changes to Housing Benefit, the Work Capability Assessment is failing far too many sick and disabled people and is causing anxiety and stress as a result.

"Paying for housing is often the area where welfare reform and the struggle to make ends meet really hit hardest. Social housing arrears problems reported to Citizens Advice Bureaux have gone up 13 per cent in one year and have increased in every part of the country. Without tackling the shortage of affordable homes, getting the Housing Benefit bill down by simply charging a small group of people is unfair and risks the wellbeing of the people affected."

Notes to editors:

1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
3. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk
4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
5. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014  service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.