Government could face rebellion over benefits

Lynne Jones, Mark Fisher, Jeremy Corbyn, David Winnick and Robert Wareing - all of whom rebelled against the government's incapacity benefit plans last week - told Housing Today they were likely to vote against cutting 100 per cent benefit entitlement if it was not supported by rent reforms in the housing Green Paper.

Their warning comes as an unpublished article by former social security minister Frank Field, seen by Housing Today, suggests the government will opt for 95 per cent of a claimant's rent being met in the first year of a new scheme.

The MPs agreed housing benefit needed reform - but would not support a plan which simply put the onus on tenants to negotiate lower rents.

Birmingham Selly Oak MP Lynne Jones said: "If it is about reducing the income of poor people and putting them in a situation which means they are at the mercy of landlords, I would be absolutely opposed to that.

"If it's about giving some autonomy to people to make choices I am in favour of a flat rate of housing benefit, but it could only be in a situation where rents were reasonable."

Stoke Central MP Mark Fisher said simply cutting benefit entitlement would be "crude and unintelligent" - but there was a good case for some sort of reform.

He said the William Sutton Trust had been able to push up rents in Stoke "outrageously above inflation and above the needs of repairs" because tenants' rents were paid by benefit so they did not complain.

Trust chief executive Michael Morris said its average rents in Stoke were £38.98 per week and recent increases had not been high in percentage terms. The association had also spent a lot of money maintaining 800 properties on its two large 1930s estates.

He added: "I think there needs to be more of a connection between what people actually pay in terms of rent and what they receive in terms of the property and the quality of service from landlords."