Government urged not to slash benefit backdating period

The Law Society has teamed up with leading organisations to challenge planned government reductions to the period for which housing and council tax benefits can be backdated.

Almost 60,000 tenants and 134,000 council tax payers have benefits backdated each year; the government proposes to cut the period for which they can claim from 12 to three months.

The Law Society has joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Housing, homeless charity Shelter, and the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux in calling for the retention of the 12-month period.

Law Society President Michael Napier said: 'Reducing the time for backdating will lead to more people losing benefit payments through no fault of their own.'

Jeremy Fleming