Thirty young people in Folkestone and Hythe to be stripped of housing benefit

Thirty young people in Folkestone and Hythe will be affected by the Conservative government's decision to strip 18-21 year olds of housing benefit, research by the House of Commons library commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has shown.

In total 18,000 young people across the country expected to be affected. The Liberal Democrats have committed to reverse the cuts, which came into force at the beginning of this month.

Shepway is already suffering from homelessness, with official figures showing there were nine rough sleepers in 2016, a figure widely believed to be a significant underestimate. Charities have warned that stripping 18-21 year-olds of housing benefits could push more young people onto the streets while research has shown it is likely to cost taxpayers more than it saves.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson Lynne Beaumont commented:

"The heartless decision to strip under-21s of housing benefit risks pushing young people in Folkestone and Hythe onto the streets.

"Vulnerable youngsters with nowhere else to turn are being abandoned by this Conservative government. This nasty and counterproductive policy should be overturned immediately.

"Younger generations have the most to lose from the increasingly divisive policies and hard Brexit agenda being pursued by this Conservative government.

"This election is a chance to change the direction of our country. The Liberal Democrats will restore housing benefit for 18-21 year olds and prevent a destructive hard Brexit robbing young people of their futures."

Figures from the House of Commons library showing the number of 18-21 year olds in receipt of Housing Benefit who will be impacted can be found here.

The latest figures on rough sleepers by local authority can be found here.

Charities have warned the policy will risk pushing thousands more young people onto the streets. Research by Heriot Watt University has claimed the policy will save just £3 million. This means if just 140 more young people were made homeless, the policy would actually cost taxpayers more money overall than it saves.