Housing benefit: Foster carers and armed services exempted from changes

Foster carers and families of armed services personnel will be exempt from controversial changes to housing benefit, ministers have said.

Changes to benefits for tenants in council houses and social housing will come into force next month, with families deemed to have too much living space seeing their rental payments reduced.

Support will also be available on a discretionary basis for others, such as those with long-term medical problems.

Ministers say the housing benefit bill must be curbed. Labour says the plans amount to a tax on the vulnerable.

Ross Hawkins reports.