Much has been reported about the potential impact of the caps upon families living in the capital due to fears they may be priced out of their current area; Westminster in particular has been highlighted because the rents are substantially higher than elsewhere in the UK. We have 50,000 rented properties in Westminster and, of those, 5,000 households are affected by the new caps. However, not all of these households will need to move. There is substantial evidence that rent levels have been driven by the Housing Benefit levels. Indeed, a Parliamentary Select Committee report before the last election came to exactly this conclusion. Furthermore, since the announcement of the new caps, our Housing Options team have been successfully negotiating down rents on behalf of households affected by the new caps by up to a £400 per week reduction. In addition, we have always had properties within Westminster and our neighbouring boroughs that are rented at rates below the caps. Whilst we do not doubt some households may need to move, they may not have to move very far. Even if larger families do need to move further afield, Westminster has excellent transport links which will allow those who move an easy trip back to visit friends or to go to work. Hundreds of thousands of people who cannot afford to live in central London do this every day.