Baroness angry over Hunt’s ‘nothing for renters�...

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16 March 2023

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By Graham Norwood

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Baroness angry over Hunt’s ‘nothing for renters’ Budget

Baroness Alicia Kennedy, the outgoing director of Generation Rent, is angry with Jeremy Hunt.

The Baroness claims “the cost of living crisis has hit private renters the hardest” and wanted help from the public purse to be announced in the Budget yesterday.

But there was no reference to the rental sector in Chancellor Jeremy Hint’s speech.

“The cost of living crisis has hit private renters the hardest, with 50 per cent being asked to pay more rent - on top of other bills going up. Evictions for rent arrears are at their highest level on record” she says.

And she continues: “The millions of people who rely on the benefits system to cover their rent are being squeezed more and more, with Local Housing Allowance frozen since 2020 but rents having risen in that time by eight per cent nationally.

“The Chancellor had an opportunity today to provide some respite by relinking Local Housing Allowance to market rents. But this inaction means we will see more people get into debt and face homelessness.”

Meanwhile the National Residential Landlords Association is also disappointed, calling the Budget a missed opportunity.

Chris Norris, Policy Director for the NRLA, says: “The Chancellor spoke of growth yet did nothing to introduce the pro-growth measures that are necessary if the private rented sector’s supply crisis is to be addressed.

“The current system, under which landlords are penalised for providing new homes to rent, only makes it tougher for many renters to access good quality rental properties.

“Without a comprehensive review of how the sector is taxed, supply and demand issues will only become more acute as time goes on.”

The NRLA believes the Government must take steps to encourage a PRS “which works in the interests of landlords and tenants alike.”

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