A recent study has shown that the benefit cap is forcing many households to live in overcrowded and poor-quality housing.
Introduced by the Conservative government in 2013, this limit on welfare support has resulted in some families having only £4 per person each day to live on.
Benefit Cap's Impact on Family Housing and Poverty
A study conducted by the London School of Economics reveals that many families throughout different areas find themselves trapped in rented accommodations that are not only costly but also of bad quality despite being often the most affordable option within their community.
Professor Ruth Patrick from the University of York, co-author of the report, stated: “Any government committed to driving down child poverty and giving children better lives must get rid of the two-child limit and the benefit cap.
“These two policies symbolise the austerity years and should have no place in a socially just country.”
Based on the gov.uk website, the benefit cap sets a limit, on the amount of benefits that you can receive. This rule applies to most individuals aged 16 and above who have not attained State Pension age yet.
Lison Garnham, Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, has urged the government to take action, stating: “The government's new child poverty taskforce must make an early commitment to abolishing this cruel policy. Overnight, that would reduce the depth of poverty for around 300,000 children.”
Addressing the results, a government spokesman supported its approach saying : “We have taken bold action to support lower-income families right away, by developing an ambitious strategy to reduce poverty, tackle inequality and make work pay including first steps announced today to commit to a genuine living wage for working people,” as reported by Birmingham Live.
“And to deliver the biggest boost to affordable housing in a generation, we will build the next generation of new towns and legislate so we can build the homes Britain needs.”
Key Insights on the Benefit Cap and Support Limits
The purpose of the benefit cap is to restrict the amount of government benefits that a person can receive.
It usually affects individuals aged 16 and older, who have not attained State Pension age. This limitation includes many benefits such, as Universal Credit, Bereavement Allowance, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Employment and Support Allowance.
It additionally includes Housing Benefit, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Maternity Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, and Widowed Parent's Allowance.
People who were benefitting from Widowed Mother's Allowance or Widow's Pension before 9 April 2001 are also affected by this.