Generation Rent and Shelter demand action from Truss and Sunak

It has emerged that Generation Rent and Shelter are amongst the charities that have written to Conservative leadership contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak demanding action over the cost of living crisis.

“With rents going up like everything else, it is more important than ever that renters are protected during this crisis” says a tweet from Generation Rent, announcing its support for the round-robin letter.

And Shelter tweets: “Housing benefit remains frozen while rents soar - it must urgently be restored before more private renters are pushed into homelessness.”

The full letter - which is co-signed by around 68 other campaign groups and charities - wants the two remaining Conservative Party leadership candidates to show “compassion and leadership” to working age low-income families by making up the £1,600 shortfall they will face this winter.

It reads:

“Dear candidates

“We believe the impact of the cost-of living crisis on low-income households is the gravest issue our country faces.

“So far this year, nearly three quarters of low-income households[1] receiving Universal Credit or other means-tested benefits, many of them working families, have been forced to go without at least one essential. This means people having to skip meals or not being able to heat their homes properly.

“Many of our organisations work directly with these families and are becoming overwhelmed, too often unable to provide the support so desperately needed.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. As the prospective leaders of this country, we urge you to act now to demonstrate the compassion and leadership needed to tackle this issue head on.

“We ask you both to pledge that, under your premiership, everyone who needs it will be properly supported when they hit hard times. This means ensuring that, at a minimum, the social security system always provides people with enough to be able to afford the essentials.

“Low-income households need urgent reassurance now that they will receive sufficient support to weather the cost-of-living storm as it intensifies further this winter. This means committing to ensuring that low-income households are provided with sufficient support to cope with the average £2,800 rise in the cost of living they face to April 2023. 

“Given the £1,200 in core support committed so far to households on means tested benefits, this means this support should be at least doubled. It should also vary by need, with higher payments for households with higher needs, for instance families with children.

“The most efficient way to provide this support would be through further payments through the social security system. Making debt deduction rates from benefits more affordable. Those subject to debt deductions face particularly high levels of hardship. This simple, low-cost action would enable people to keep more of their money and immediately relieve some of the financial pain they are enduring.

“You were both senior members of a government that pledged to ensure that the most vulnerable and least well off get the support they need. It is only right that this be your top priority should you take office.”