Hackney Council recorded 6,723 social housing tenants in arrears during 2025/26, owing a combined £11.3 million. That is an improvement on 2021/22, when more than 8,200 tenants were behind, but the underlying debt remains substantial.
More than 4,900 of those tenants were receiving Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, a reminder that arrears are concentrated among households whose incomes are already stretched thin. The council also carried out 44 evictions during the year, a notable rise on previous figures.
In Newham the trend is moving the other way. Total arrears climbed from 6.9 million pounds in March 2021 to £10.8 million in March 2026, with the average debt per tenant rising from around £500 to almost £750. The…