Bevan Foundation joins calls to uplift LHA

The Foundation joins forces with other members of Homes for All Cymru to call for action on Local Housing Allowance 

The Bevan Foundation have joined forces with other members of Homes for All Cymru to call on the UK Government to uplift LHA. The calls follow the publication of a new briefing by the Bevan Foundation that showed that only 32 properties advertised for rent in Wales between February 3 and February 17 were available at LHA rates, just 1.2% of properties on the market. 

Homes for All Cymru, the voice of the Welsh housing and homelessness sector, has drafted two letters. 

The first, sent to relevant Secretaries of State at the UK Government, calls on the UK Government to uplift LHA at its spring budget next week. With LHA having been frozen since 2020, there are concerns that freezing LHA for a further 12 months will see the position deteriorate event further. 

The second, send to relevant Ministers at the Welsh Government calls on the Welsh Government to step up its efforts to mitigate the impact of the gap that is developing between LHA and rents. The specific actions called for by Homes for All Cymru are:

• Increase the budget of the Housing Support Grant.
• Accelerate the construction of new social housing and fund acquisitions of existing stock by social landlords.
• Explore methods for collecting more accurate data on the rental market in Wales, in particular by strengthening the role of Rent Smart Wales.