Benefits Cap in Fenland hits 170 people says council as £20,000 limit comes in for couple - £13,400 if you’re single
Benefits Cap to hit 170 people in Fenland - Credit: Archant
As many as 170 residents in Fenland have been hit by the Government’s new benefits cap.
The cap is a limit set on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get. Where total income from benefits exceeds these limits, Housing Benefit is deducted from the excess. £20,000 a year is the limit for a couple; £13,400 for a single adult.
A Fenland Council spokesman said these are the maximum amounts of all benefits that residents in Fenland will be allowed to have:
* 384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) for a couple,
* £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) for single people with children living with them.
*£257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) for single people who don’t have children or their children don’t live with them.
The spokesman said: “We have contacted claimants to make them aware of the changes as have the DWP and Housing Associations.
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“We have made provision within our Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) budget to financially support customers affected by the cap for a short period of time to give them time to receive and act on budgeting advice.
“Customers will have to make an application for DHP support but we have made the process simpler by introducing a one page on line application form.”
The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) have announced that the full Universal Credit (UC) service will be rolled out in Fenland in May 2018. From this point, the council will no longer take new applications for Housing Benefit (HB) from working age customers; they will apply for UC direct to the DWP. UC will then include a “housing element” that customers use to contribute towards their housing costs.
