Less than 1% of private rental houses in Milton Keynes can be afforded by people on benefits

Fewer than 1% of private rented homes in Milton Keynes are affordable to people on housing benefit, research has shown.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The National Housing Federation looked at 508 houses being advertised and found only FOUR could be afforded by tenants receiving a Local Housing Allowance because they are disabled, on low pay or unemployed.

The council's Cabinet member for housing, Nigel Long, said: “The private rented sector in Milton Keynes, which is substantial, is of no help to many people on low incomes... They just cannot afford the rents.”

Last Friday there were 896 homeless households in temporary accommodation. The main reason they are homeless is that they have been evicted from private lets.

RentingRenting
Renting

They are mostly evicted because the private landlords want to increase rents. Yet rents are already unaffordable to people in receipt of LHA," said Councillor Long.

He said: “There is a historic lack of affordable housing in Milton Keynes. This is at the heart of the homelessness crisis facing Milton Keynes. The private rented sector cannot fill the gap because, as the National Housing Federation research shows, less than one per cent of private lets are affordable.

"What the 2010 Coalition Government did was reduce the level at which LHA was set and now nine years on we see the consequence of this."

Related topics: