Impact of LHA cuts on London
Recent figures show that following cuts in April 2011 there has been a dramatic shift in where Londoners who get Local Housing Allowance (housing benefit for people renting privately) are living, with fewer households in inner London and major rises in outer London boroughs.
Click on the map to explore the data in more detail or see below for a summary table.
| Fall in no. of LHA claimants | Rise of up to 200 claimants | Rise of 201 to 2,000 | Rise of over 2,000 |
See a larger version of this map.
What the Mayor said
We think that pricing people out of the inner city is bad for those it affects and bad for London and it seems Mayor of London Boris Johnson agrees. In 2010, Boris famously said that he would not allow housing benefit cuts in the capital to lead to "social cleansing", the Mayor explained explained:
"The last thing we want to have in our city is a situation such as Paris where the less well-off are pushed out to the suburbs. I'll emphatically resist any attempt to recreate a London where the rich and poor cannot live together."
SUCCESS: figures raised at Mayor's Question Time
Thanks to the actions of Crisis Campaigners, this issue was raised at Mayor's Question Time on Wednesday 20 March, by several London Assembly Members.
We will post the Mayor's response here once it is published.
Three ways you can still take action
1. Ask Boris directly on Twitter
You can also share the map with with the Mayor on Twitter and ask him if he thinks it's acceptable.
Ask Boris on Twitter
Ask the Mayor if he thinks it's acceptable that LHA claimants are being pushed to outer London.
Please use the hashtag #CutsMap and do let us know (@crisis_uk) if you get a reply.
2. Email the map to your friends
Click on the icon to share the map via email:
3. Share the map on Facebook
Share the map with your Facebook friends.
Share the map with your Facebook friends and ask them to take action.
Data summary
See below for a summary table or download the data.
SOURCE: Department for Work and Pensions