MORE than 60 per cent of private tenants in Bradford relying on Universal Credit to pay their rent have a shortfall, the latest data has revealed.

Official data shows that across the district, a total of 61.4 per cent of renters who receive housing benefit have a gap between the amount they receive and what they have to pay – with the average shortfall being £75 a month.

The Local Housing Allowance is used to calculate the amount tenants can receive to support housing costs as part of a Universal Credit payment.

In response to the pandemic the Government increased the allowance in April 2020, but the rate was frozen in April last year.

As a result of the freeze, the link between local rent levels and the amount of housing benefit support received has been broken.

Ruth Millington, of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The benefits system fails to provide renters and landlords across Yorkshire and The Humber with the security they need.

“It cannot be right that housing benefit support fails to reflect the reality of current rent levels. The freeze merely exacerbates the already serious cost of living crisis for tenants across the region.”

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