Thousands set to suffer under bedroom tax
MORE than 6,500 people in the Bristol area will be hit by the new "bedroom tax" when it is introduced next month, it has been claimed.
The Coalition Government is introducing the tax to reduce the number of spare bedrooms in households to ease the chronic housing shortage. Householders who claim benefit towards rented accommodation will lose some of their money if they are deemed to have any spare bedrooms.
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In Bristol, council tenants with one spare bedroom will lose £11 a week and for those in low rent housing association accommodation, £16.64. Council tenants with two spare bedrooms would lose £21 a week and housing association tenants, £29.27 a week.
In financial terms this means a reduction of £3.3 million in housing benefit payments and therefore rental contribution.
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The city council estimates 4,714 households will be affected. Of these, 3,639 rent from the council and 1,075 from registered social landlords.
Figures from the National Housing Federation claim that 3,753 people in Bristol will be affected, along with 1,063 in South Gloucestershire, 933 in Bath & North East Somerset and 806 in North Somerset – a total of 6,555.
Bristol mayor George Ferguson last night called for an urgent review of the changes. He said he wanted a cross-party working group to be set up to look at ways in which those hardest-hit by changes to welfare benefits could be helped.
But he said no extra money had been made available to achieve this and that "creative solutions would have to be found".
Mr Ferguson said: "This move has raised widespread and profound concern about the impact on some of those least able to afford it.
"Bristol City Council has a duty to protect those who are most in need, who are most vulnerable, at a time when many are already facing real hardship. I want a cross-party working group to look at what the effect of the change will be and how we can best help those who will be hardest-hit."
Guy Poultney. Cabinet Member for Homes, Planning and Regeneration, said: "It is vital that all parties in the city work together on this in order to ensure that we do all that we can to offset the potentially devastating impact of this change and protect some of the poorest people in Bristol."
Thangam Debbonaire, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, raised the issue with Mr Ferguson earlier this week, saying that the changes would hit 1,000 people in the constituency.
She said: "Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone with a disability, and the families of soldiers and foster parents will also be hit."
She said the tax "could actually risk costing local tax-payers a fortune in higher private rents and covering the cost of driving people out of their homes".
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said there were a large number of people in council houses which had more bedrooms than they actually needed – something not allowed in privately rented homes under housing benefit rules.
He said: "What we're saying to them is you can stay where you are, but if you do you'll have to pay more."
16 Comments
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by bristolboozie
Monday, March 11 2013, 11:42PM
“ok so elderly people that have worked and lived in a council house for 50 years are now waiting to die hav ep to paty”
by Phurr
Monday, March 11 2013, 12:49PM
“@Bris2, hardly proactive.
"Thangam Debbonaire, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, raised the issue with Mr Ferguson earlier this week, saying that the changes would hit 1,000 people in the constituency."
Then……
"Bristol mayor George Ferguson last night called for an urgent review of the changes."”
by BristolMark2
Monday, March 11 2013, 9:22AM
“I do love reading the comments here. It reminds you of just how compassionate, understanding and socially responsible the average armchair warrior truly is.
I'm glad to see George Ferguson being proactive on this, hopefully a workable solution can be found that minimizes the disruption to people's lives and does not force more children into poverty.”
by BarryW
Monday, March 11 2013, 8:18AM
“"Excess bedroom benefit"
please
not a tax”
by Brandon_Hill
Sunday, March 10 2013, 11:47PM
“This bedroom tax is scandalous. Further undermining and demonising the poor..
Disgusting really.”
by aj1111
Sunday, March 10 2013, 12:22PM
“There is an exchange scheme for social housing residents. There are plenty of people in 2 bed homes looking for 3+ beds. The opportunity is there to down size for anyone who wants to. The housing shortage is mainly confined to those needing to enter the social housing for the first time or wanting to transfer via the council/social landlord.
Yes, I do speak from experience as a social housing tenant - who works, pays their rent and council tax and looked on the exchange list when I needed to.”
by spragger
Saturday, March 09 2013, 6:27PM
“You always know its a leftard call when they name it a tax and its actually a reduction in housing benefit.
- A loss of someone else's money, namely the real taxpayer”
by ceembee
Saturday, March 09 2013, 5:16PM
“I agree that under-occupation is an issue but there are other reasons for the chronic shortage of social housing the most obvious of which was right to buy. I am not sure this initiative will do much to solve the shortage.
However if people are to move into smaller properties they will generally have to move into the private sector where the rents will be higher with consequential implications for housing benefit costs to the tax payer (though to assume everyone in social housing is on benefits would be wrong.)
This is a complex situation that I don't think has been fully thought through and is going to cause an awful lot of misery to an awful lot of people. For example disruption to children who may well have to change schools, loss of support networks etc.”
by exkingswoodbo
Saturday, March 09 2013, 2:07PM
“Bemused79
I couldn't give a flying one if there is not enough small properties going round, the scroungers should get a job and stop being parasites.
IF there is a shortage of small properties then let's turn one of the many empty office blocks in the city in to very small cramped bedrooms with communal cooking and bathroom facilities. That will help encourage them to get a job and stop spending my hard earned taxes.”
by Bristolexpat
Saturday, March 09 2013, 1:43PM
“@bemused,
By your own comments you are implying there are those who have been given a council house, had kids, kids have grown up, kids have moved out......and they are still living in their council house?
People living on benefits and being housed etc for decades/their whole life is the problem in the first place....”