Woman faced eviction after defective DWP algorithm

Council error sees mum in court over £20,000 rent arrears

- ALEX CROFT

A mother of three has accused a council of “dehumanising” treatment after it wrongly cut her housing benefit, before trying to evict her when she couldn’t pay her rent.

Maya – not her real name – was stripped of benefit payments by her local authority in 2021, leading to £20,000 in rent arrears building up over the next three years. Wandsworth Council then took her to court over the unpaid bills in an attempt to evict her from her home.

However, after a three-year battle, the council has finally accepted it acted unlawfully in axing the payment and has paid £19,281.06 in backdated benefits. Maya’s lawyers believe the mistake was likely made after her application was deemed “high risk” by a defective algorithm used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to tackle benefits fraud.

The Wandsworth resident, who works at a local community kitchen preparing hot meals for people in need, says the stress took a severe toll on her health. She suffered hair loss, sleepless nights and anxiety while caring for her newborn child.