House of Commons library analysis published today has shown the number of working people claiming housing benefit is set to rise by 20 per cent, from 956,000 in 2015/16 to 1,142,000 in 2019/20, adding £1.3 billion to the housing benefit bill.

And figures published by Labour show that Cambridge has seen a huge increase in the number of working people claiming housing benefit under the Coalition with 51% per cent more people in work claiming than were in 2010.

Daniel Zeichner said:
“There is a toxic mix of low pay and high housing costs in Cambridge.

“The economy is not working for thousands of working people. I am campaigning for a Living Wage. We need a better plan so that when you put in the hours, you are rewarded with a decent wage and don’t need top ups in housing benefit.”

Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rachel Reeves, said:
“Labour has a better plan to control the housing benefit bill and tackle the root causes of rising spending; low pay and high housing costs. A Labour government will raise the national minimum wage to £8 an hour before 2020, give tax rebates to firms who pay a Living Wage and build at least 200,000 homes a year by 2020.”