A little bit of politics! Bedroom tax

Extract from the Newstatesman.

‘Almost two-thirds of households affected by the “bedroom tax” have a disability. Frances Ryan talks to five people who will face debt, discomfort and even homelessness once the bedroom tax is implemented.’

I have recently learnt that a member of my branch who has spms is being penalised because he has a spare bedroom, he has contacted his MP because his house has been adapted with a lift etc and as he said “it cannot be expedient for the family to move to a smaller property where they will have to have another lot of adaptations which will cost even more money.” His wife is disabled too and neither are fit enough to work. From looking into this it appears that it will hit the disabled, no surprise there then and no Mr Clegg I do not think this has been thought through properly!

I know that some people living on benefits in social housing could downsize but do we really think that this will solve the problem of homelessness, it will just make some poor people poorer and even homeless.

Ok I know it’s not popular to have these views in this day and age but we are lucky enough to own our own home, I worked, helped care for my and raised my daughter without knowing I had MS and it has only affected me badly in the last few years. The member of my branch I write about was not so lucky.

From an old fashioned former LibDem supporter.

Wendy x

Its a tough one isn’t it…

I can see it would be terribly disruptive for people such as you descibe to move etc especially when adaptations are to be considered.

BUT I would love to have a spare bedroom, but despite a decent income, we can’t afford to buy a bigger place. So I can see why the council wants to house people in homes the right size for their actual needs.

Hi amylou

We still live in our ‘starter home’ as the recession in the 80s meant we couldn’t move on and so we only had one child.

I do not however see the sense in moving a disabled person from an adapted house that happens to have an extra bedroom to a property that will probably need more tax payers money spent to make it liveable.It doesn’t make financial sense. Unless it is to punish the person for being poor!

Wendy x

The aim to move social tenants into smaller properties is a laudable one HOWEVER we need to look at the available housing stock.

Are there enough 1 and 2 bedroom properties to move people into? I would say probably not. It costs about the same to build a 2-bedroom house as a 3 bedroom and historically councils opted towards the greater number of bedrooms because it offered greater flexibility to them as landlords. You can’t punish people for this.

Homes that have been adapted are exempt from the right to buy scheme so it would be a simple matter to exempt them from this. I don’t claim HB or CTB so it doesn’t affect me but I live with my mum. There will come a point in the future that she will die and I will be alone in a 2 bed property. A great deal of money was spent adapting this property for my needs it would make no sense whatsoever to expect the council to do it all over again in a 1 bed place just to meet some ill thought out targets

Jane

The Queen lives in a property larger than she needs on face value.

So does the PM.

So do all the hangers on.

We pay.

Sod em.

How I feel for people having to move from their lifelong property due to the bedroom tax. I thought when this idea was floated that the disabled were to be excluded, since then nothing has been said about the plight of the disabled. Why isnt a minister taking this on board and rattling the cages of all those who can stop this nonesense and cruel attempt at moving people when in fact the disabled need their extra bedroom for carers etc.

Wait until April when people start receiving bills for council tax when on low income too. How on earth are they supposed to afford that as well as the bedroom tax if they can possibly afford to pay that?

I despair and Im not affected, but sure as heck feel for those being picked on simply because theyre easy targets for the government to pick on.

take care,

bren

x

The easy targets are the best, as far as these idiotic plans go!

luv Pollx

im in a 2 bed flat, i cannot move as theres no 1 bed flats in my area, they want to charge me £10.54p a week in bedroom tax. needless to say i refuse to be paying it, what are they going to do? evict a disabled woman from her home as she cannot afford to pay the bedroom tax?

I do think that the disabled should be exempt from this tax, there is something called the 'discretionary housing payment’I will send you a pm.

Wendy x