Today, a new benefit cap has been introduced affecting more than 9,000 families in London. 

The cap rollout, which will be completed by the end of January 2017, limits total household benefits to £23,000 (£442 a week) in London and £20,000 outside the capital (£385 a week).

The cap is part of £12bn in welfare cuts announced in former chancellor George Osborne's Budget in July last year.

Analysis by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) shows that almost 9,000 of those affected live in London, with a further 2,000 living in the South East. 

Single parents with a young child make up more than half of the households affected by the benefit cap. 

Tyron Julien, SHP Lambeth Tenancy Support Service Manager, said: “We work with families and single parents who struggle to maintain their tenancies, and this cap will hit our clients hard. 

"This new benefit cap is threatening thousands of families in London with homelessness. House prices and rents have not been reduced, and it is more expensive than ever to live in the capital.” 

To find out how the benefit cap will affect you visit the Government website where you can use a benefit cap calculator.