DWP · 2 May 19977 June 2001

Housing support caseload during the Labour 1997–2001 government

Year ending March 1997Year ending March 2001 · 4 periods

16.8%794,000 households

Housing support caseload fell by 16.8% over the period, from 4,740,000 households (Year ending March 1997, the level when the government took office) to 3,946,000 (Year ending March 2001, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level Year ending March 1997: 4,740,000
  2. Level when it left Year ending March 2001: 3,946,000
  3. method: latest complete period before start / before end

Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.

Housing support caseload: Year ending March 1979 to Year ending March 2025ConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour02m4m19801990200020102020Year ending March 1979: 3,408,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1980: 3,314,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1981: 3,556,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1982: 4,151,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1983: 4,431,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1984: 4,750,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1985: 4,825,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1986: 4,860,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1987: 4,900,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1988: 4,860,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1989: 3,996,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1990: 3,886,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1991: 3,950,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1992: 4,120,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1993: 4,380,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1994: 4,601,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1995: 4,692,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1996: 4,757,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1997: 4,740,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1998: 4,588,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 1999: 4,423,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2000: 4,187,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2001: 3,946,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2002: 3,846,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2003: 3,807,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2004: 3,812,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2005: 3,940,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2006: 3,986,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2007: 4,021,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2008: 4,036,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2009: 4,166,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2010: 4,547,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2011: 4,798,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2012: 4,932,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2013: 5,053,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2014: 5,026,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2015: 4,921,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2016: 4,777,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2017: 4,594,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2018: 4,371,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2019: 3,984,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2020: 3,394,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2021: 3,008,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2022: 2,733,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2023: 2,509,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2024: 2,351,000 households · published 26 March 2026Year ending March 2025: 2,072,000 households · published 26 March 2026

Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

The average number of households receiving help with housing costs through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit over the financial year.

Doesn’t measure: How much of each household's rent is covered.