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Sandwell Council's benefits bill is more than £100m

More than £100 million has been paid out in council tax and housing benefits to residents in one Black Country borough in the last year, it has emerged.

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More than £100 million has been paid out in council tax and housing benefits to residents in one Black Country borough in the last year, it has emerged.

Figures reveal Sandwell Council tenants have received £65m to help pay rent, while people living in privately rented accommodation have received £36m towards rent. Additionally,

£28m has been paid out towards council tax bills. Sandwell's finance boss said the number of claims has increased by 15 per cent in the last 18 months.

Also, almost a third of residents in the borough are now in receipt of some kind of benefit.

The figures are detailed in Sandwell Council's latest annual internal audit report.

Councillor Steve Eling, cabinet member for strategic resources at the council, said today:

"The money comes from the Government, but the benefits are administered by the council.

"They both apply to people that qualify and the national benefit rules apply to council tax and housing benefit wherever they live in the country.

"Obviously the amount that we pay out is just the value of the legitimate claims that are made.

"Since the credit crunch and the recession we have seen a 15 per cent increase in the number of people claiming benefits that we administer.

"That doesn't mean that all the new claims are receiving the full amount of benefits. A lot of low income householders qualify for partial benefits."

The audit report states that £36m of rent allowances was paid out to 9,100 tenants in private rented accommodation, £28m towards council tax was paid in respect of 41,000 council taxpayers and £65m of credits against council rents was paid to 21,500 council tenants.

Councillor Eling added: "We have got a substantial number of householders that receive benefits.

"A lot of them don't receive full benefits, but it is still quite a lot.

"We are talking over 40,000 households in Sandwell, out of around 128,000.

"Almost a third of households in Sandwell are receiving some kind of benefit."

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