On 17/11/2022, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the Autumn Statement, outlining the Government’s spending plans. The speech included the confirmation that departmental spending will not rise in line with inflation over the next two years, while benefits will be uprated by 10.1%.
Responding to the Autumn Statement, Homeless Link's CEO Rick Henderson said:
“Everyone deserves a safe place to live and the support they need to keep it, with preventing people from losing their home key to this. Therefore, the confirmation the Government will uplift benefits by 10.1% is welcome, giving people on low incomes greater resources to help them avoid being pushed into homelessness. We hope the Government will build on this decision through uplifting Local Housing Allowance rates to ensure that housing benefit covers the cost of rent and helps prevent people from being pushed into homelessness.”
“The Chancellor stated that ‘spending cuts are not compatible with high quality public services’, but has asked services to make efficiencies to deal with inflationary pressures over the next two years. Homelessness services across the country are already running on budgets set when inflation was a fraction of what it is now. At the same time, demand for their support is rising. Services desperately need an inflationary uplift now. Without it, many fear having to scale back or even close down all together.
"The Government must listen to the homelessness sector and change course, or it will have very little hope of meeting its goal of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024."