Robinson praises tax break.

A CITY MP has welcomed new rules on Housing and Council Tax benefits, claiming it will make working families an average pounds 20 a week better off.

More than 200,000 working families will gain about pounds 1000 a year, says Geoffrey Robinson, Labour MP for Coventry North west.

From this week, new government policy means income from Child Benefit will no longer be taken into account when calculating entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

He added: "This change means more money in the budgets of working families here in Coventry."

"We want to do more to help families who are working hard to get by during the recession. Already tax credits make sure families are better off in work, but this extra cash is a practicalway to make sure the benefits from working are even stronger."

He said both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit can be claimed by customers who are working, and the changewould be an extra incentive to getting back to work.

Currently, the average Housing Benefit award is pounds 80 a week and the average Council Tax Benefit award is pounds 15 per week.

The Child Benefit disregard for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit is one of a series of measures taken since the Budget 2007.