On Wednesday 20 February 2013 20.57 GMT Juliette Jowit, political correspondent of the Guardian newspaper reported that: “Changes to the way housing benefitsare paid have sparked concern at the top levels of government amid fears that tenants who cannot manage their money will fall into arrears and be made homeless.

“The proposed change away from paying most housing benefits directly to landlords in favour of payments to tenants have also led to fears that social landlords like housing associations will not have the financial security to invest in much needed new affordable homes.

“However,  Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury, has written to the Conservative work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, outlining his fears about the change in housing support, and urging his Conservative cabinet colleague to moderate his reforms.

According to a national Housing Federation Spokesman, “The best thing the government could do to reassure social landlords and lenders would be to continue to allow people to have their benefit paid direct to their landlord.” County Cllr Bill Winlow says “I agree, we are aleady seeing problems in our area and I totally support Danny’s principled approach on this matter”.