A judge has ordered Salford city council to repay a family of seven more than £5,000 they lost in housing benefit when a fire tore through their home. Sam Steinhart, his wife and five children were rendered homeless in June 2021 when the blaze gutted their Park Avenue home in Broughton.
The family initially went to stay with close relatives before being rehomed in Wellington Street East. But the Steinharts, who had been in receipt of housing benefit, had it stopped by the local authority. Cash was deducted from Mr Steinhart's wages under an attachment of earnings arrangement to collect what the city council claimed was overpaid benefit.
Yesterday, Independent councillor for the Kersal and Broughton Park ward Andrew Walters, acting as an advocate for Mr Steinhart against the wishes of Salford city council on which he serves, successfully appealed against the stopping of the benefit at a social security appeal tribunal at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre.
