The head of a Brighton housing project has questioned claims by a government minister that the introduction of the new local housing allowance in the city has helped tackle homelessness.
Brighton Housing Trust deputy chief executive John Holmstrom said the advantages of the allowance, which is being piloted as a replacement for housing benefit, were cancelled out by the disadvantages.
Department of Work and Pension minister James Plaskitt said last month that the allowance, which pays an amount based on an average local rent directly to the claimant, was helping to tackle homelessness and had no significant effect on arrears. He cited Brighton as a particularly successful pilot area.
Holmstrom said the allowance was helping claimants access private-rented housing because it was well-implemented by the council and was being paid at more generous levels than housing benefit.
But he said private landlords were unhappy about the allowance because they felt it was causing greater rent arrears.
He suggested the scheme should offer rent in advance and rent deposits, to make the private-rented sector even more accessible to benefit claimants.
