House image_crop

FEATURE16 April 2018

Making money go further

x Sponsored content on Research Live and in Impact magazine is editorially independent.
Find out more about advertising and sponsorship.

Features Impact Public Sector UK

Social housing residents in the UK are budgeting carefully to navigate a difficult economic climate, the opposite of many preconceptions of low-income households. By Katie McQuater

The challenges faced by social housing tenants in the UK are multifaceted. Amid continued government cuts to welfare, households across the country have been affected by the cap to benefits introduced in November 2016, the ‘bedroom tax’ – a cut in housing benefit where a household is deemed to have a spare bedroom – and inconsistent employment terms, to name but a few issues.

Despite these financial pressures, research by Clarion Housing Group, the country’s biggest provider of social housing, found that residents – while still very concerned about money – are managing their finances well. Fewer people said they run out of money before the end of the month, compared with the group’s study the previous year. 

Almost half ( 47%) of the 2, 000 residents surveyed are worried about money, with no statistically significant differences between those who are working and those who are not. Respondents with children living at home are more likely to worry about ...