Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The Budget statement has left struggling renters out in the cold. Bills are skyrocketing and rents are higher than ever. Housing is at the root of the cost-of-living crisis, but the Chancellor hasn’t noticed … If we’re going to prevent rising homelessness this year, housing benefit has to be fit for purpose. Long term, to insulate more people against cost-of-living shocks we need investment in social homes with affordable rents pegged to local incomes.” For the full comment, click here.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation analysed the impact of the Chancellor’s failure to increase benefits in line with inflation and calculated that about 600,000 people will be drawn into poverty, of which around a quarter will be children. For details of the analysis, click here. For the Foundation’s full response, click here.

Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said: “What’s clear from this statement is that people up and down the country will be pushed into homelessness. It will not give support to families facing the cost-of-living crisis.” For his full comment, click here.

The Local Government Association said: “The increase in short-term government funding through the Household Support Fund is a positive step but cannot on its own address underlying cost-of-living pressures, or to help people to make the most of their money and strengthen financial resilience. With many households likely to be economically vulnerable for some time to come, councils also want to work with government on an effective long-term solution to preventing poverty and disadvantage that moves away from providing crisis support towards improving life chances.” For the full comment, click here.

Homeless Link warned that the lack of focus on increasing welfare in line with inflation means that the measures announced will do little to prevent a rise in homelessness. For its full comment, click here.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health called on the UK Government to prioritise energy efficiency in efforts to tackle the cost of living crisis. For its full comment, click here.

The National Residential Landlords Association welcomed the decision to scrap the VAT levy on energy saving materials as of April 2022 but called on the Government to provide additional clarity on how the private rented sector can address the important issue of energy efficiency. For the full comment, click here.

For HM Treasury’s Spring Statement documents, click here.