Housing Benefit changes

The current Government are seeking to cut the benefits budget by cutting the amount of money that people are paid via Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.  In places where it is expensive to live, rents are correspondingly high.  Before today's change, people would merely offset their high level of rent against Housing Benefit, and the money would be paid direct to the landlord.  This represents a transfer of Government money direct to landlords who could charge what they liked and the government would cough up the cash.  I do not have the figures, but I would imagine that Housing Benefit payments started to spiral out of control once rents were deregulated back in the years of the Iron Lady.
Part of Ian Duncan Smiths rhetoric is to deprive people of Housing Benefit to 'force them' into work.  What planet does he live on?  'Ere in 'Ull there are 50 to 60 people chasing every job.  This is just further proof the the Government are out of touch.