Forces familes, foster carers and families with severely disabled children protected from housing benefit changesForces familes, foster carers and families with severely disabled children protected from housing benefit changes

Following pressure from the Liberal Democrats, the Coalition Government has clarified that Armed Forces families and foster carers will be protected from changes to Housing Benefit. This follows yesterday's announcement that families with severely disabled children will also be exempt.

Commenting, Co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Work and Pensions, Greg Mulholland said:

"There is a real need to deal with the chronic shortage of social housing. It is therefore important to encourage people who are under-occupying to move in to smaller accommodation to free up desperately needed family homes.

"There has, however, been concern that a number of groups have not been exempt from the plans for the spare room subsidy.

"I am delighted that as a result of Liberal Democrat pressure the Secretary of State has announced that families with severely disabled children who cannot share with a sibling, Armed Forces families and foster carers will now be exempt from the loss of part of their housing benefit."