Working families in two-thirds of England cannot cover the cost of renting privately and are forced to turn to housing benefit thanks to the country’s “rent trap”, a study suggests.
Figures from housing charity Shelter reveal that there are 218 council areas where families in lower-paid jobs would be forced to spend more than 30 per cent of their salary to rent a two-bedroom home.
In 112 areas, households are spending more than 40 per cent of their income.
Kensington and Chelsea, where Grenfell tower is located, in London is the least affordable borough, with average rents equivalent to 127 per cent of a low-earning family’s take-home pay followed by Westminster at 111 per cent and Camden at 92 per cent.
The Grenfell tower tragedy in which 72 people were killed two years ago sparked a debate about social housing and inequality.
1/50 8 July 2019
Fifteen-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff serves to Romania’s Simona Halep in a women’s singles match during day seven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. The youngest woman to qualify for Wimbledon in the open era defeated Venus Williams in her opening match and made if through to week two. Halep ended the teenagers dream run at the tournament in their round 16 match, 6-3, 6-3
AP
2/50 7 July 2019
A competitor takes part in the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Alexandra Park, London. The soapbox race is an international event in which amateur drivers race homemade soapbox vehicles on a downhill course
PA
3/50 6 July 2019
Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community take part in the annual Pride Parade in London
AFP/Getty Images
4/50 5 July 2019
Andy Murray fives mixed doubles partner Serena Williams at a practice session during day five of Wimbledon
Getty Images
5/50 4 July 2019
Chelsea’s newly appointed head coach Frank Lampard gives a thumbs up as he poses at Stamford Bridge. The Blues confirmed a dramatic return for one of the club’s greatest ever players. He has signed a three-year contract with the Premier League club, where he spent 13 years and became the team’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals
AFP/Getty
6/50 3 July 2019
A grey seal named after Sir David Attenborough is released back into the wild after months being treated at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk after it was found with a plastic frisbee disc embedded in its neck
PA
7/50 2 July 2019
The Kirby Estate in London is decorated with St George flags ahead of the Women’s World Cup semi-final match between England and the USA
PA
8/50 1 July 2019
People sleep as Glastonbury Festival 2019 comes to an end
SWNS
9/50 30 June 2019
The crowd enjoys the atmosphere as Years & Years perform on the Pyramid Stage during day five of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 30, 2019 in Glastonbury, England
Getty
10/50 29 June 2019
A couple make their way across the sand with their belongings as people enjoy the sunshine and hot weather on Bournemouth Beach in Dorset. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday June 29, 2019
PA
11/50 28 June 2019
A lion-tailed macaque stays cool in the hot weather by eating frozen treats with fruit at Camperdown Wildlife Centre, Dundee
Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS
12/50 27 June 2019
A festival goer dance with LED hula hoops on the second day of Glastonbury Festival 2019
PA
13/50 26 June 2019
Festival goers warm up prior to the gates opening at 8am on the first day of Glastonbury 2019
Adam Gray / SWNS
14/50 25 June 2019
An early glimpse of this year’s Glastonbury Festival is given in this picture taken by a local who glided over the site in their paramotor
James Pearce / SWNS
15/50 24 June 2019
The interior roof of a Tesco shop collapses under the torrential rain in Stirling, Scotland on 24 June
James Charity
16/50 23 June 2019
Steph Houghton celebrates with teammates after scoring England’s first goal during the Women’s World Cup round of 16 match against Cameroon at the Stade du Hainaut stadium in Valenciennes, France
AP
17/50 22 June 2019
Pride marchers at a rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
PA
18/50 21 June 2019
The sun rises between the stones and over crowds at Stonehenge where people gather to celebrate the dawn of the longest day in the UK. The neolithic Wiltshire monument is built along the solstice alignment of the summer sunrise and the winter sunset. On the longest day of the year, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle, and rays of sunlight are channeled into the centre of the monument
PA
19/50 20 June 2019
Frankie Dettori celebrates with the trophy after winning the 4.20 Gold Cup on Stradivarius as Queen Elizabeth looks on
Action/Reuters
20/50 19 June 2019
Endangered Amur tiger cub Makari plays with a pinata which was given to him and brothers Dmitri and Czar as they celebrate their first birthday this week at Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable
PA
21/50 18 June 2019
Eoin Morgan celebrates his century with Joe Root during England’s ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan at Old Trafford in Manchester. Morgan hit 17 sixes and set a new record in one-day international cricket, which saw his side win by 150 runs
Getty
22/50 17 June 2019
Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s New Road ground fully submerged by floodwater following heavy rainfall in the area. Worcestershire switched next week’s County Championship home game with Sussex to Kidderminster due to the threat of flooding at the ground
PA
23/50 16 June 2019
Dominic Raab (left) and Rory Stewart during the live television debate on Channel 4 for the candidates for leadership of the Conservative party, at the Here East studios in Stratford, east London
PA
24/50 15 June 2019
Great Britain celebrate their first place on the podium during the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay at Nottingham Embankment
PA
25/50 14 June 2019
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire
PA
26/50 13 June 2019
Community member Desi Cranenburgh attaches her latest homemade tribute near to the site of Grenfell Tower in London, a day before the second anniversary of the fire which killed 72 people
Getty
27/50 12 June 2019
Boris Johnson during the launch of his campaign to become leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party and Prime Minister at the Royal Academy of Engineering in central London
PA
28/50 11 June 2019
Strip club dancer Celia Lister protests with other demonstrators to oppose moves to close a branch of Spearmint Rhino in Sheffield. Dancers marched through the city centre after a row developed over whether to renew Spearmint Rhino’s licence for the premises. The debate deepened after reports a video had been filmed by private investigators of sex acts taking place in the club
PA
29/50 10 June 2019
A peregrine falcon chick calls out during ringing and data collection by RSPB expert handlers in the tower at Salisbury Cathedral. Four newly hatched birds of prey are nesting along with mum and dad on the South tower.
PA
30/50 9 June 2019
England’s forward Ellen White celebrates after scoring during the France 2019 Women’s World Cup Group D football match between England and Scotland. White’s goal was England’s second of the match, which they went on to win 2-1
AFP/Getty
31/50 8 June 2019
Jason Roy celebrates his century with Joe Root. He went on to hit 153 as England scored their highest Cricket World Cup total of 386. The hosts beat Bangladesh by 106 runs to bounce back from defeat to Pakistan in their previous match
Action/Reuters
32/50 7 June 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn celebrates with newly elected labour MP Lisa Forbes at Cathedral Square, Peterborough following her victory in the Peterborough by-election. The newly-formed Brexit Party lost out to Labour by 683 votes
PA
33/50 6 June 2019
Veterans observe a two minute silence at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, in Staffordshire, for a service to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings
PA
34/50 5 June 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Britain’s Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, front row from left, watch a fly past at the end of an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth
AP
35/50 4 June 2019
Anti-Donald Trump protesters gather with a Trump baby blimp flying over Parliament Square for a protest against the US president’s state visit to the UK
EPA
36/50 3 June 2019
Queen Elizabeth II views a display of US items of the Royal collection with US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump at Buckingham palace
AFP/Getty
37/50 2 June 2019
Liverpool’s players celebrate with the Champions League trophy on board a parade bus after winning the final against Tottenham Hotspur, in Madrid the night before
Getty
38/50 1 June 2019
Fans gather in Madrid ahead of the all-English club Champions League Final between Tottenham and Liverpool
Reuters
39/50 31 May 2019
Racegoers during Ladies Day of the 2019 Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse, Epsom.
PA
40/50 30 May 2019
Jofra Archer celebrates taking the wicket of South Africa’s Aiden Markram during England’s opening ICC Cricket World Cup match at the Kia Oval in London. The hosts beat South Africa by 104 runs
Action/Reuters
41/50 29 May 2019
The Red Arrows in the Apollo formation while performing a full display at Chalkoutsi, Greece. The aerobatic display team have been granted formal approval on Wednesday to perform for audiences, known as Public Display Authority (PDA), to mark the official start of the Red Arrows’ 55th display season
Cpl Ashley Keates/PA
42/50 28 May 2019
British Environment Secretary Michael Gove returns to his home following a run in London.
EPA
43/50 27 May 2019
Participants throw themselves down Cooper’s Hill for the annual cheese rolling in Brockworth, Gloucestershire
PA
44/50 26 May 2019
Jason Pearce and Chris Solly lift the League One play-off trophy following Charlton’s victory against Sunderland. They will be promoted to the Championship after three years in the third tier
Getty Images
45/50 25 May 2019
Giant kites are flown by expert kite flyers during the English Heritage Kite Festival at Scarborough Castle in North Yorkshire
PA
46/50 24 May 2019
Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she announces her resignation in London
Reuters
47/50 23 May 2019
A horse stands outside a polling station, set up in a pub, as it’s rider votes in the European Parliament elections, near Tonbridge, south east England. Voting got under way in Britain early on Thursday in elections to the European Parliament – a contest the country had not expected to hold nearly three years after the Brexit referendum
AFP/Getty
48/50 22 May 2019
Larry the cat sits in the street, at Downing Street in London
Reuters
49/50 21 May 2019
Kent make their way to the field to open the fielding on day two of the Specsavers County Championship Division One match between Kent and Surrey in Beckenham, England
Getty
50/50 20 May 2019
Karamoja the 12 day old baby Rothschild’s Giraffe pictured with its mother Orla takes its first steps outside at Chester Zoo
PA
1/50 8 July 2019
Fifteen-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff serves to Romania’s Simona Halep in a women’s singles match during day seven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. The youngest woman to qualify for Wimbledon in the open era defeated Venus Williams in her opening match and made if through to week two. Halep ended the teenagers dream run at the tournament in their round 16 match, 6-3, 6-3
AP
2/50 7 July 2019
A competitor takes part in the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Alexandra Park, London. The soapbox race is an international event in which amateur drivers race homemade soapbox vehicles on a downhill course
PA
3/50 6 July 2019
Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community take part in the annual Pride Parade in London
AFP/Getty Images
4/50 5 July 2019
Andy Murray fives mixed doubles partner Serena Williams at a practice session during day five of Wimbledon
Getty Images
5/50 4 July 2019
Chelsea’s newly appointed head coach Frank Lampard gives a thumbs up as he poses at Stamford Bridge. The Blues confirmed a dramatic return for one of the club’s greatest ever players. He has signed a three-year contract with the Premier League club, where he spent 13 years and became the team’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals
AFP/Getty
6/50 3 July 2019
A grey seal named after Sir David Attenborough is released back into the wild after months being treated at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk after it was found with a plastic frisbee disc embedded in its neck
PA
7/50 2 July 2019
The Kirby Estate in London is decorated with St George flags ahead of the Women’s World Cup semi-final match between England and the USA
PA
8/50 1 July 2019
People sleep as Glastonbury Festival 2019 comes to an end
SWNS
9/50 30 June 2019
The crowd enjoys the atmosphere as Years & Years perform on the Pyramid Stage during day five of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 30, 2019 in Glastonbury, England
Getty
10/50 29 June 2019
A couple make their way across the sand with their belongings as people enjoy the sunshine and hot weather on Bournemouth Beach in Dorset. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday June 29, 2019
PA
11/50 28 June 2019
A lion-tailed macaque stays cool in the hot weather by eating frozen treats with fruit at Camperdown Wildlife Centre, Dundee
Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS
12/50 27 June 2019
A festival goer dance with LED hula hoops on the second day of Glastonbury Festival 2019
PA
13/50 26 June 2019
Festival goers warm up prior to the gates opening at 8am on the first day of Glastonbury 2019
Adam Gray / SWNS
14/50 25 June 2019
An early glimpse of this year’s Glastonbury Festival is given in this picture taken by a local who glided over the site in their paramotor
James Pearce / SWNS
15/50 24 June 2019
The interior roof of a Tesco shop collapses under the torrential rain in Stirling, Scotland on 24 June
James Charity
16/50 23 June 2019
Steph Houghton celebrates with teammates after scoring England’s first goal during the Women’s World Cup round of 16 match against Cameroon at the Stade du Hainaut stadium in Valenciennes, France
AP
17/50 22 June 2019
Pride marchers at a rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
PA
18/50 21 June 2019
The sun rises between the stones and over crowds at Stonehenge where people gather to celebrate the dawn of the longest day in the UK. The neolithic Wiltshire monument is built along the solstice alignment of the summer sunrise and the winter sunset. On the longest day of the year, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle, and rays of sunlight are channeled into the centre of the monument
PA
19/50 20 June 2019
Frankie Dettori celebrates with the trophy after winning the 4.20 Gold Cup on Stradivarius as Queen Elizabeth looks on
Action/Reuters
20/50 19 June 2019
Endangered Amur tiger cub Makari plays with a pinata which was given to him and brothers Dmitri and Czar as they celebrate their first birthday this week at Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable
PA
21/50 18 June 2019
Eoin Morgan celebrates his century with Joe Root during England’s ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan at Old Trafford in Manchester. Morgan hit 17 sixes and set a new record in one-day international cricket, which saw his side win by 150 runs
Getty
22/50 17 June 2019
Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s New Road ground fully submerged by floodwater following heavy rainfall in the area. Worcestershire switched next week’s County Championship home game with Sussex to Kidderminster due to the threat of flooding at the ground
PA
23/50 16 June 2019
Dominic Raab (left) and Rory Stewart during the live television debate on Channel 4 for the candidates for leadership of the Conservative party, at the Here East studios in Stratford, east London
PA
24/50 15 June 2019
Great Britain celebrate their first place on the podium during the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay at Nottingham Embankment
PA
25/50 14 June 2019
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire
PA
26/50 13 June 2019
Community member Desi Cranenburgh attaches her latest homemade tribute near to the site of Grenfell Tower in London, a day before the second anniversary of the fire which killed 72 people
Getty
27/50 12 June 2019
Boris Johnson during the launch of his campaign to become leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party and Prime Minister at the Royal Academy of Engineering in central London
PA
28/50 11 June 2019
Strip club dancer Celia Lister protests with other demonstrators to oppose moves to close a branch of Spearmint Rhino in Sheffield. Dancers marched through the city centre after a row developed over whether to renew Spearmint Rhino’s licence for the premises. The debate deepened after reports a video had been filmed by private investigators of sex acts taking place in the club
PA
29/50 10 June 2019
A peregrine falcon chick calls out during ringing and data collection by RSPB expert handlers in the tower at Salisbury Cathedral. Four newly hatched birds of prey are nesting along with mum and dad on the South tower.
PA
30/50 9 June 2019
England’s forward Ellen White celebrates after scoring during the France 2019 Women’s World Cup Group D football match between England and Scotland. White’s goal was England’s second of the match, which they went on to win 2-1
AFP/Getty
31/50 8 June 2019
Jason Roy celebrates his century with Joe Root. He went on to hit 153 as England scored their highest Cricket World Cup total of 386. The hosts beat Bangladesh by 106 runs to bounce back from defeat to Pakistan in their previous match
Action/Reuters
32/50 7 June 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn celebrates with newly elected labour MP Lisa Forbes at Cathedral Square, Peterborough following her victory in the Peterborough by-election. The newly-formed Brexit Party lost out to Labour by 683 votes
PA
33/50 6 June 2019
Veterans observe a two minute silence at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, in Staffordshire, for a service to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings
PA
34/50 5 June 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Britain’s Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, front row from left, watch a fly past at the end of an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth
AP
35/50 4 June 2019
Anti-Donald Trump protesters gather with a Trump baby blimp flying over Parliament Square for a protest against the US president’s state visit to the UK
EPA
36/50 3 June 2019
Queen Elizabeth II views a display of US items of the Royal collection with US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump at Buckingham palace
AFP/Getty
37/50 2 June 2019
Liverpool’s players celebrate with the Champions League trophy on board a parade bus after winning the final against Tottenham Hotspur, in Madrid the night before
Getty
38/50 1 June 2019
Fans gather in Madrid ahead of the all-English club Champions League Final between Tottenham and Liverpool
Reuters
39/50 31 May 2019
Racegoers during Ladies Day of the 2019 Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse, Epsom.
PA
40/50 30 May 2019
Jofra Archer celebrates taking the wicket of South Africa’s Aiden Markram during England’s opening ICC Cricket World Cup match at the Kia Oval in London. The hosts beat South Africa by 104 runs
Action/Reuters
41/50 29 May 2019
The Red Arrows in the Apollo formation while performing a full display at Chalkoutsi, Greece. The aerobatic display team have been granted formal approval on Wednesday to perform for audiences, known as Public Display Authority (PDA), to mark the official start of the Red Arrows’ 55th display season
Cpl Ashley Keates/PA
42/50 28 May 2019
British Environment Secretary Michael Gove returns to his home following a run in London.
EPA
43/50 27 May 2019
Participants throw themselves down Cooper’s Hill for the annual cheese rolling in Brockworth, Gloucestershire
PA
44/50 26 May 2019
Jason Pearce and Chris Solly lift the League One play-off trophy following Charlton’s victory against Sunderland. They will be promoted to the Championship after three years in the third tier
Getty Images
45/50 25 May 2019
Giant kites are flown by expert kite flyers during the English Heritage Kite Festival at Scarborough Castle in North Yorkshire
PA
46/50 24 May 2019
Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she announces her resignation in London
Reuters
47/50 23 May 2019
A horse stands outside a polling station, set up in a pub, as it’s rider votes in the European Parliament elections, near Tonbridge, south east England. Voting got under way in Britain early on Thursday in elections to the European Parliament – a contest the country had not expected to hold nearly three years after the Brexit referendum
AFP/Getty
48/50 22 May 2019
Larry the cat sits in the street, at Downing Street in London
Reuters
49/50 21 May 2019
Kent make their way to the field to open the fielding on day two of the Specsavers County Championship Division One match between Kent and Surrey in Beckenham, England
Getty
50/50 20 May 2019
Karamoja the 12 day old baby Rothschild’s Giraffe pictured with its mother Orla takes its first steps outside at Chester Zoo
PA
Shelter’s data show’s that working families are struggling to afford homes and need to be topped up by state payments to private landlords.
Social rents, by contrast, were found to be affordable for working families on low wages in 100 per cent of the country but there is a severe shortage of this type of tenure.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The steep decline in social housing has left a growing number of families caught in a debilitating ‘rent-trap’. It’s disgraceful that despite working every hour they can, many parents are now forced to rely on housing benefit to keep a roof over their children’s heads.
“It makes no sense to continue haemorrhaging billions of pounds in housing benefit to private landlords, when the Government could support families by investing in a sustainable, long-term solution to the housing emergency instead.
“The next Prime Minister needs to realise social housing is the best cure to the affordability crisis we face. The delivery of 3.1 million new social homes over the next 20 years is the only way to lift millions out of housing poverty and into a stable home.”
