Royals get £200k Housing Benefit, live in biggest council house in Britain, Buckingham Palace

[Tony Gosling]

Royals on Benefits Street: The Queen and Prince 
Charles accused of receiving thousands in housing benefits every year

http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/royals-on-benefits-street-the-queen-and-prince-charles-accused-of-receiving-thousands-in-housing-benefits-every-year 

By 
<http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/http://www.closeronline.co.uk/author/kayleigh-dray>Kayleigh 
DrayOnline Deputy EditorTuesday 25 February 2014

New reports claim that the Queen and Prince 
Charles receive thousands of pounds in housing benefits every single year
The Royals reportedly receive tens of thousands 
of pounds a year in housing benefits that are 
paid by local authorities to landlords.
According to The Mirror, Prince Charles’ Duchy of 
Cornwall Estate, which has an array of properties 
across the South West, was paid "at least 
£163,000 from a string of councils providing cash to households".
The newspaper also reported that the Crown 
Estate, which gives the Queen 15% of its revenue, 
received "at least £38,539 in housing benefit 
payments from just one town hall last year".
Campaigners Defend Council Housing joined the 
growing call for a 
<http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/http://www.closeronline.co.uk/#>cap<http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/http://www.closeronline.co.uk/#>
[]
 on the amount of housing benefit private landlords are allowed.
Spokeswoman Eileen Short said: “Prince Charles 
was brought up in the biggest council house in Britain, ­Buckingham Palace."

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II

"We should be regulating the amount of rent we 
pay to landlords like him and if the Duchy of 
Cornwall paid its fair share of taxes we could 
use the money to build new 
<http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/http://www.closeronline.co.uk/#>high 
quality<http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/02/http://www.closeronline.co.uk/#>
[]
 council housing for the benefit of the nation.
“The housing benefit bill has increased hugely 
and more than £9billion will be paid this year to 
private ­landlords. Taxpayers’ money is being 
used to line the pockets of wealthy landlords and ­property speculators.”
A spokesman for the Crown Estate, however, 
explained: “Our properties are let to a range of 
tenants including ­residents who may receive housing benefit.
"As with any landlord, there are some cases where 
tenants receive housing benefit and the rent is 
paid directly by the local authority from the tenant’s benefit to the landlord.
“All of The Crown Estate’s profits are returned 
to the Treasury each year for the benefit of the nation’s public finances.”


Duchy of Cornwall and Crown Estate 'received over 
£200,000 in housing benefit payments last year'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/duchy-of-cornwall-and-crown-estate-received-over-200000-in-housing-benefit-payments-last-year-9150472.html
[]

<http://www.independent.co.uk/search/simple.do?destinationSectionUniqueName=search&publicationName=ind&pageLength=5&startDay=1&startMonth=1&startYear=2010&useSectionFilter=true&useHideArticle=true&searchString=byline_text:(%22Ian%20Johnston%22)&displaySearchString=Ian%20Johnston>IAN 
JOHNSTON  Tuesday 25 February 2014
Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall estate and the 
Crown Estate received a total of more than 
£200,000 in housing benefit payments for their 
tenants last year, according to a report.
Campaigners called for regulation of the amount 
of housing benefit that is paid to landlords, 
saying the money was helping them to “grow their 
property empires” rather than helping poor people.
The Crown Estate was paid at least £38,539 in 
housing benefit payments by one council last 
year, while the Duchy of Cornwall received at 
least £163,000, the Daily Mirror reported, adding 
that the true figures were probably higher.
Defend Council Housing, a campaigner group, said 
there should be a cap on the amount of housing 
benefit that landlords can be paid.
“We should be regulating the amount of rent we 
pay to landlords like him and if the Duchy of 
Cornwall paid its fair share of taxes we could 
use the money to build new high quality council 
housing for the benefit of the nation,” Eileen 
Short, a spokeswoman for the group, said.
“The housing benefit bill has increased hugely 
and more than £9bn will be paid this year to 
private landlords. Taxpayers’ money is being used 
to line the pockets of wealthy landlords and property speculators.”
She added: “Prince Charles was brought up in the 
biggest council house in Britain -- Buckingham Palace.”
GMB union general ­secretary Paul Kenny said: 
“Things have come to a pretty pass when even the 
royals are acting as middle men and receiving 
benefits for their tenants. Why can they not just 
hand the houses to a housing association?”
Teresa Pearce, a Labour MP, said landlords “see 
the welfare state as a market and its purpose is 
to put public money in private hands”.
The Crown Estate said: “Our properties are let to 
a range of tenants including residents who may 
receive housing benefit. As with any landlord, 
there are some cases where tenants receive 
housing benefit and the rent is paid directly by 
the local authority from the tenant’s benefit to 
the landlord. All of The Crown Estate’s profits 
are returned to the Treasury each year for the 
benefit of the nation’s public finances.”
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions 
Secretary, has rejected a cap on landlord’s 
housing benefit payments, saying: “I suspect you 
would end up with fewer landlords actually making properties available.”
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