Under-34s set to lose in benefit shake-up

CHANGES to housing benefit rules will mean thousands of 25- to 34-year-olds in Scotland will lose up to £54 a week, it has been revealed.

The government plans to change housing benefit rules in April so single people under 35 will only be allowed to claim for a room in a property with shared facilities.

The move is part of a wider crackdown on housing benefits, which now cost the UK more than 22 billion a year.

But in a debate in Westminster Hall yesterday, Scottish Labour MP Gregg McClymont said it would have a devastating impact on many young people north of the Border.

Worst hit will be Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire where claimants are expected to lose 54.23 a week on average, followed by Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian where the loss will be 47.30

In Glasgow claimants are set to lose 35.77 a week and Mr McClymont estimated that in his Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch constituency alone the cumulative loss would be 2.2 million. He said: "I am very concerned that vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals will be harmed by these ill-thought-out measures."

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has said the savings are part of a necessary reform of the housing benefit budget, but insisted help is being provided.

A spokeswoman said: "There is an urgent need to reform housing benefit and return fairness to a system that has been allowed to spiral out of control and we have already announced that the government will set up an independent review to look at the effects of changes from these reforms.

"Last week, in consultation with the Local Authorities Association, we announced 30m has been allocated through the Discretionary Housing Payment Fund with 2.5m for Scotland."