Welsh housing benefit hotspots revealed

New figures reveal today the areas in which housing benefit claimants account for almost one in every four households.

Seventeen local authority areas have also seen housing benefit claims rise since August 2007, the figures show.

Ten Welsh local authority areas have a percentage of claimants above the British average.

The highest percentage of claimants are in Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil, while the biggest rise since August 2007 was in Cardiff.

On average across Great Britain almost 18 per cent of households are dependent on housing benefit.

The average housing benefit payment is worth £81.03 a week – more than the standard rates for Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support (£64.30).

The annual cost of housing benefit has risen by £2.7 billion since 1997. In total the Government has spent £180 billion on housing benefit since 1997.

Commenting on the figures, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan MP said:

“These shocking figures provide further clear evidence of Labour’s failure to tackle welfare reform.

“While housing benefit provides valuable help to people in work or pensioners, the reality is that for far too many people it also represents a broader culture of benefit dependency.

“We need to look very closely at the system which leads to one in four households in some Welsh communities being reliant on benefits.”