The Government's welfare policy is preventing councils from effectively tackling homelessness, a new report has shown.

Of the 106 councils and 50 housing associations in the UK that responded to a survey circulated by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the University of Sheffield, 84% of local authorities and 70% of housing associations said that the Government's welfare policies, like a lower benefit cap, are negatively affecting their work on homelessness.