Statistics published by the Department of Work and Pensions today announced that the number of people claiming housing benefit as of May 2013 was 5,072,264. The number claiming the benefit in April was 5,062,172, meaning there were 10,092 new claimants over the period of a month.

Year on year, housing benefit claims rose by 40,526, as in May 2012 the number of people claiming was 5,031,738.

3.39 million of the housing benefit claimed in May 2013 were from people living in the social rented sector, with 1.68 million private sector tenants. 83 per cent of the private sector tenants received the local housing allowance.

The overall average housing benefit awarded was £89.81 and 3.97 million housing benefit claimants were single, with 64% of these being female.

Of the 1.81 million claimants with at least one child dependent, 1.21 million of these were single.