IN NOVEMBER George Osborne announced the decision had been taken to cap housing benefit which, if applied to vulnerable people like the elderly, disadvantaged youngsters, homeless veterans and victims of domestic violence, would have a devastating effect on their housing. According to the National Housing Federation, this change would hit vulnerable people by an average of £68 a week and at least 82,000 homes for these groups would be forced to close.

As one of the UK’s leading housing associations, Stonewater manages a number of supported schemes, women’s refuges, specialist retirement accommodation and young people’s Foyers, including a mental health scheme in Marlborough.

We believe residents here would be severely disadvantaged by the government’s proposals.

The cost of delivering supported and specialist services to those in greatest need is indeed higher than general needs social housing but this must be balanced against the additional pressure on health and other budgets which results from failing to provide for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

We support the National Housing Federation in calling for assurance that the cap will only apply to working age tenants in general needs accommodation and are urgently seeking further clarification from the government as to how the interests of residents in specialist housing schemes in the region will be protected.

Bob Strachan, Chief Executive, Stonewater, 100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading