Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of what the income would be for a claimant who is eligible for the housing element of Universal Credit in the event that the Local Housing Allowance had increased in line with local rents for each year since 2020 in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.

A claimant’s income will vary according to their individual circumstances. Therefore, an assessment of a claimant’s income which could include wages and other benefits cannot be estimated without incurring disproportionate costs and would not be representative of all Local Housing Allowance (LHA) claimants.

The 30^th percentile levels of local market weekly rents for the Tyneside Broad Rental Market Area for each year from 2020 can be found here. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publish 30^th percentile rental data alongside weekly LHA rates. This is not available as a monthly equivalent for Universal Credit.