A new online petition is calling on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to rise in-line with the current rate of inflation. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation fell to 10.1 per cent in March from 10.4 per cent in February.
William Conway created and posted the petition on the petitions-parliament website, proposing that the increase should then be applied every year, following in the footsteps of the annual State Pension and benefits uprating which is implemented every April. He highlighted how many private tenants have seen their rents rise at a “massive rate”, meaning the LHA doesn't cover rent costs, leaving “many households in financial hardship”.
Local Housing Allowance was introduced in 2008 to provide Housing Benefit entitlement for tenants renting private-sector accommodation in Scotland, England, and Wales. Its introduction meant significant changes to the way Housing Benefit levels were calculated and how benefit was paid.
