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Written question asked by Shockat Adam (Independent (affiliation)) on Friday, 10 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Local Housing Allowance: Leicester South

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of levels of Local Housing Allowance on a) poverty b) homelessness among Universal Credit claimants in Leicester South.

Answer

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, such as rent levels across the country and poverty impacts, were considered against the fiscal context, including the level of housing support that Government provides overall.

LHA rates are reviewed annually and future decisions on LHA will be taken in the context of the Government’s welfare priorities, and the fiscal context.

Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for the Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.

The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. DWP continues to work closely with MHCLG on interactions with homelessness.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17857
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Poverty Homelessness Local housing allowance Leicester South
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk