Only 1 in 6 people hit by ‘cruel’ Tory benefit cap claim Jobseeker’s Allowance

http://www.welfareweekly.com/fewer-1-4-people-hit-tory-benefit-cap-claim-jobseekers-allowance/

Child poverty campaigners have reacted angrily to new Government figures revealing a substantial rise in the number of families sucked into the “cruel” Tory benefit cap.

Statistics published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on Thursday show the number of UK households hit by the cap since it was lowered in 2016 has skyrocketed by a shocking 214%, with single parents among the worst affected.

The benefit cap, which limits the total amount a household can receive in state support and includes the majority of state benefits, was reduced in November 2016 to £23,000 per year in London (£15,410 for single people) and £20,000 per year (£13,400 for single people) in the rest of the UK.

If there is not also a cap on what landlords are able to charge for private rents then this sort of structural poverty is not unexpected.