The housing benefit bill is estimated at £25bn for 2015-16, driven by rising rents in many of the country’s better-off cities and a lack of affordable housing, research from think tank the Centre for Cities showed.
The housing benefit bill has risen by 50% more in better-off cities such as Cambridge and London compared with cities where wages are lower, such as Glasgow and Liverpool.
Centre for Cities chief executive Alexandra Jones warned that economic growth in the wealthier cities could be at risk because of the lack of affordable housing, and said the government needed to act to deal with the shortage of homes.
The Guardian, p. 21
The Independent, p. 8
