Poorest households in Leeds spending nearly 50 per cent of wage on rent in 'shocking' findings

The poorest households in the city spend an average of 47 per cent of their income on funding their accommodation, according to findings from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).

One local councillor described the figure as “shocking” and bad for the local economy.

By comparison, low earners in every other part of West Yorkshire spend between 30 and 40 per cent of their income on rent.

A WYCA housing meeting on Thursday, where the report was discussed, was told that higher land values in Leeds city centre were thought to skew the figures.

But Labour councillor Kayleigh Brooks, whose Little London and Woodhouse ward covers half of the city centre, said: “In Leeds, we can see the numbers are really quite shocking.

“If you’re spending 47 per cent on rent, that’s going to have a massive impact on people’s way of life and on the local economy.

“Because if people are spending more on rent, they can’t spend money in local shops and businesses.”

Councillor Brooks said the council was “trying really, really hard” to increase the amount of social housing in Leeds, but added, “not everyone is eligible for those kinds of properties”.

The report also confirmed Leeds has the highest median rent in West Yorkshire, with households paying an average of £825 a month.

That’s an increase of around £125 since 2019.

In Wakefield, the poorest households typically spend 39 per cent of their income on accommodation, while in Kirklees the figure is 37 per cent.

Low earners in Bradford use up around 36 per cent of their pay on rent, while in Calderdale it’s 34 per cent.