Council landlords report rising arrears and increasing pressure on homelessness and housing advice services as tenants struggle to cope with the cost of living. 

This joint survey from the NFA and ARCH – the body that represents councils with housing stock – is based on a substantial sample of data from around 300,000 council homes, about 30 per cent of the sector.

Councils and their housing management organisations want government to:

• Increase the basic UC element to cover the essentials of housing, food and heat;
• Stop paying UC in arrears;
• Improve benefits for those in short-term, fluctuating employment;
• Set a minimum level of benefit to stop deductions pushing families into destitution and the brink of homelessness.