FAMILIES in Rugby are facing a “a living standards crisis” claims the town’s Labour parliamentary candidate.
Debbie Bannigan, who will be hoping to unseat Conservative MP Mark Pawsey at the next general election, hit out after figures released by the Chartered Institute of Housing showed private renters in Rugby would next year be forced to pay a weekly shortfall between rents and housing benefit of £30.18 for a four-bed home, £28.81 for a three-bed home, £23.82 for a two-bed home, or £19.10 for a one-bed home.
She said: “This is a disgrace. Families on low incomes in Rugby are now struggling to afford even the cheapest, lowest-quality housing. They are facing a living standards crisis, and it’s only going to get worse.
“For some people these shortfalls might sound small, but if you’ve got a low income, a few quid a week really matters. When you can’t afford your rent, you have to choose between heating and eating. We’re a rich country, and no one should have to live like this.
“We know the stress, the shame and the anguish that causes people – especially parents, who just want to look after their children.
“The Tories’ obsession with austerity is ruining people’s lives. The Conservatives must end the benefits freeze now – or the number of desperate and homeless people in Rugby is going to rise.”
But Mr Pawsey defended the government’s record
He said: “The government presently spends £24billion a year supporting those in the private rented sector – roughly half of what the country spends on defence. Those in the greatest need have also been supported through providing £800million in discretionary housing payments which enable local authorities to help vulnerable members of their communities.
“The best way to ensure that my constituents in Rugby are appropriately housed is to increase the number of affordable homes being built.
“Since 2010 the government has delivered over 357,000 affordable homes and the budget for the Affordable Homes Programme is over £9billion. Here in Rugby I am also pleased that over 600 local families have been able to get onto the housing ladder and buy their first home through the Conservatives’ Help to Buy initiative.”
