Community Care has an article investigating the possibility that the restriction on housing benefit could see vulnerable families leaving expensive urban areas in search of lower rents. We’ve suggested that this could be mitageted by reforms to tenency that we proposed in Room to Move:
A solution may lie in a proposal mooted by prime minister David Cameron to reform council home tenure. Laurie Thraves, policy manager at the Local Government Information Unit, said the reform would remove council tenants’ right to live in the property for life and should therefore increase the availability of stock.
“Obviously this is an emotive issue,” Thraves said. “But some councils, such as Westminster, are already looking into this so that they can prioritise families in need and ensure they are not forced out of their local areas. Responsible action by councils could mitigate future concerns.”
