The number of people in work and claiming housing benefit has rocketed by 59 per cent since the Coalition came to power and will cost taxpayers an extra £5 billion by next year’s general election.{jcomments on}
The figures, compiled by the House of Commons Library, highlight the growth of “in-work poverty” in recent years while wages fell in real terms and rents continued to rise.
They also undermine claims by some Conservatives that benefit claimants are “skivers” because many people qualify for state help even though they are in jobs.
The number of housing benefit claimants in work rose from 650,561 in May 2010 to 1.03 million by the end of last year.
The Commons Library estimates the cost of the extra claims at £4.8 billion by May 2015.
In England, the number of in-work claimants has increased from 586,181 to 936,964 since 2010.
In Scotland, the number jumped from 40,447 to 61,856 over the same period and in Wales from 23,923 to 38,003.
The Library calculated the amount spent on in-work housing benefit will rise from £3.4 billion in the 2010-11 financial year to £5.1 billion in 2014-15, making a total of £21.9 billion over the five-year parliament ending at next year’s election.
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