Thousands of low-income families across the South West will be forced to pay more rent or move out of their homes when the bedroom tax comes in on 1 April.
Under the Government’s new bedroom tax 30,000 people in the South West will lose an average of £584 a year in Housing Benefit if they have one ‘spare’ bedroom in their council or housing association home and £1,043 a year if they have two or more.
Shockingly, about 18,9002 of those affected are disabled and if the Government’s Discretionary Housing Payments fund was shared equally among disabled people hit by the tax they would each receive as little as £1.71 a week from the Government through Discretionary Housing Payments to cover the shortfall – compared to the average £14 a week loss in housing benefit.
The bedroom tax affects all working-age housing benefit claimants who are deemed to have one or more bedrooms in their council or housing association home. This includes separated parents who share the care of their children, families where young children have a small bedroom each, foster carers, and disabled people who have their home specially adapted for their needs.
Catherine Brabner, South West lead manager for the National Housing Federation, said: “The Government’s bedroom tax is flawed and will unfairly penalise thousands of people in the South West who have lived in their homes for years, raised families and contributed to their communities.
“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach takes no account of disabled people’s adapted homes, of foster parents who need rooms to take children in, or of parents sharing custody who will lose the room for their child at weekends.
“In most areas, there just aren’t enough smaller affordable homes for these families to move into to avoid the tax. Many people will find themselves having to move into more expensive privately rented properties – adding to the overall housing benefit bill.
“The bedroom tax shows just how detached Ministers are from the lives of families who will be hit. The high housing benefit bill is because there are not enough affordable homes, so the best way to cut the bill is to build more.”
The National Housing Federation is calling on the Government to repeal this ill-conceived policy, but at the very least right now it must exempt disabled and other vulnerable people from these cuts before it comes into effect on 1 April.
(from a press release)
Yes I agree the Government need to look at the impliactions and consequenecs of the bedroom tax. It will not save money on the benefit bill, my own example would cost the Government more money to pay for a 1 bed flat, as the current rent on my 3 bed property is less than the 1 beds I have seen. It is not just vulnerable people who will be affeted,I help my daughters out with the children so they can both work. I need my bedrooms for overnight stays if needed. I am trying to keep my family in work, and therefore avoid their potential homelessness. How silly is this bedroom tax? Build more 1 bed affordable, decent accommodation.If we worked out all the savings made through keeping families, communuities safe and housed, it would cost a great deal more to society if we did not do so. Someone stop this!