BRIEFING PAPER Number 06294, 20 July 2015 By Wendy Wilson The Benefit Cap Inside: 1. Background 2. Rationale 3. Numbers & characteristics of affected households 4. Reaction and comment 5. Reducing the cap threshold www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library |
[email protected] | @commonslibrary Number 06294, 20 July 2015 2 Contents Summary 3 1. Background 4 Rolling out the benefit cap 4 Setting the level of the cap 4 Calculating the cap: included and excluded benefits 4 Applying the cap 6 2. Rationale 7 3. Numbers & characteristics of affected households 8 4. Reaction and comment 12 Supported and temporary accommodation 15 The cap and affordable rent tenure 19 The Welfare Reform Bill in the House of Lords 20 Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee – 10th Report 2012 23 Assessment by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 24 Legal challenge 25 One year review of the cap 26 5. Reducing the cap threshold 30 Comment 31 Cover page image copyright: Money UK British pound coins by hitthatswitch. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 / image cropped. 3 The Benefit Cap Summary As part of the October 2010 Spending Review the Coalition Government announced an intention to cap total household benefits at £500 per week for a family (£26,000 per year) and £350 per week (£18,200 per year) for a single person with no children. Households with income from benefits in excess of these caps experience a reduction in their Housing Benefit entitlement. Measures to introduce the cap were included in sections 96 and 97 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Benefit Cap (Housing Benefit) Regulations 2012.