This bedroom tax is really a pile of s*** isn't it?

[sweetkitty]

I was thinking about this and the people it affects is so tiny it's not even worth it really is it?

It doesn't affect the disabled and rightly so.

It doesn't affect the grannies and grandpas living in 3 and 4 bed council houses.

It doesn't affect anyone working.

So it only affects the very poorest people who are receiving benefits. And if you are only getting £71 a week to live on an extra tenner is a lot.

Most of these people cannot downsize as there are no homes to downsize to. So they are forced to pay a charge through no fault of their own. Are the government hoping they will move in with family as they cannot afford to live thereby freeing up a council property?

A friend of mine has 3 DC in a 2 bed flat she has been told she had no chance of a council house ever. She doesn't want to privately rent as her rent would go from £220 a month to £500 and she could be thrown out in 6 months.

My mother and her DP live in a huge 3 bed house but as her DP works and pays rent they get to keep it, he's approaching retirement age so they'll just go onto a pension and still keep the house.

The whole housing system in this country is completely screwed isn't it? But don't worry Doreen bought her council flat for 8K and its now worth 100K but no one can afford to buy it.

[Oodsigma]

It does affect disabled and working people who claim HB & live in HA properties....

[Trillz]

She doesn't want to privately rent as her rent would go from £220 a month to £500 and she could be thrown out in 6 months.

One of the problems with housing in this country is the huge disparity in rent and conditions between social housing and private rentals.

[sweetkitty]

I thought I had read it wouldn't affect disabled people in HA/council properties claiming HB well that just makes it more shit.

If your disabled and cannot work how can you find the extra money, not eat?

[ParsingFancy]

It does affect the disabled.

There's a particular set of disabled people who are exempted, but huge numbers of disabled people will be affected. And the number will go up next year, when the exempted group is reduced in size.

[Dawndonna]

No, I'm afraid it does affect the disabled.
It's probably going to cost the government more than it will save.
It's part of the governments programme to vilify the poor and disabled so that we ignore the likes of Gideon and pals getting richer.

[sweetkitty]

It doesn't affect me at all but I am disgusted by it.

All these policies they aren't saving money, all they are doing is widening the gap and making the poorest worst off.

Why aren't people realising this and trying to vote these wealthy idiots out?

[TickleMyTitsTillFriday]

It's always been this way in private rented if you claim Hb, no? You have only been allowed to claim for the amount of bedrooms you need.

Am I wrong?

[grograg]

Will it affect my sister? She lives in a HA 3 bed house with 2 little boys. The don't get any HB as they work. The boys are both under 8 so the do in theory have an extra room.

[TickleMyTitsTillFriday]

How on earth will it affect them if they're not claiming hb?

That's why this shouldn't be called a tax!

[Dawndonna]

No, it only affects those in receipt of housing benefit.

[TheCalvert]

I thought people on JSA were exempt?

I feel so sorry for the government. They were left with a shitbag by Labour and any policy they introduce will hurt somebody.

If they did nothing about people living in oversized accommodation, they would be slated because poor Doreen is living in a 2 bed flat with 4 children.

No win situation.

[NettoSuperstar]

I'm disabled and have to pay it.
The HA won't give me money they said they'd issued to me weeks ago, because I now owe them money for my third bedroom.
They told this to my support worker, but haven't bothered to send me a letter or anything stating this.
I don't even know how much I owe.

Oh and the reason I have an extra bedroom is because I'm disabled, they only gave me this place a few months ago, because according to their rules I need an extra bedroom.

[grograg]

I was asking because I know nothing about it Ticklemytitstillfriday, no need for your snotty reply!!

[ParsingFancy]

As Trillz says, there's a huge disparity between conditions in private and social housing.

For some people, the answer to this is to make social housing as expensive and insecure as private. For others, the other way round would be nice.

[diddl]

I can see the idea behind it.

But, if there's no "suitable" accommodation, I don't see why people should be penalised.

Although I thought that HB was already paid on the size of house that was needed.

Why are pensioners exempt?

Is that where the biggest problem is though-an older couple in a family sized house?

[Dawndonna]

The Calvert
People on JSA are not exempt. So far it would seem that only pensioners and foster carer's are exempt.
As for feeling sorry for the bunch of millionaires currently making policy, how is it going to make any difference to them. The only thing that will was the tax reduction for millionaires in the last budget.

[Dawndonna]

Pensioners are exempt because they are the group most likely to vote.

[diddl]

I thought it might be that, Dawn!!

[tabulahrasa]

It does affect people who are working - about a quarter of working age housing benefit claimants are employed.

[Jinsei]

It's just another ill-considered headline-grabbing way in which our hideous coalition government can earn brownie points from the Daily Mail reading benefit-bashers. It feeds very nicely into their rhetoric about scroungers living in huge mansions that poor hard-working families could never hope to afford. Why let the realities of a situation get in the way of a good piece of right-wing propaganda?

[tallwivglasses]

As I said on another thread, if you're disgusted, please do something about it (as well as venting on MN). Write to the people in power and join your local campaign.

[TheCalvert]

Dawn,

Pretty much identical to the Labour government then. A bunch of public school, Oxbridge idiots spending money the country didn't have and shoring the economy on debt.

I hate people being penalised if they have no other option, its wrong. However, I can see the logic behind the policy, and do agree with it. FWIW I also think that we need to start looking at housing stock and creating more of what's needed to stop the need for HB reductions in this way. However this takes time.

[Dawndonna]

I'm so glad you agree with people being starved from their homes Calvert because that is what will happen.
There are other options available, other cuts available, trident for a start.
I think if you looked at some empirical evidence, you may find that the Labour government (for whom I shall not be voting) didn't fuck the economy all on their lonesome.

[ParsingFancy]

"I can see the logic behind the policy"

The logic behind the policy?

Do you mean, the way it will work in practice and have a positive, desirable outcome? Such as protect the vulnerable, save money, encourage economic growth or social cohesion?

Or do you mean, that it will have some other outcome, like making poverty more miserable, hastening the buy up of council houses, or something else, while providing a "two-second logic" explanation that fills the gap and covers the conscience for those who don't stop to think for, well, more than two seconds?

[TheCalvert]

Thanks for that Dawn. Because I really REALLY want people to starve.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I simply expressed mine. Didn't really warrant you having a go and making such a ridiculous statement which is pretty vile.

No, I don't want people to starve, of course I bloody don't. But I did say I can see the logic of the policy.

Please read before you post.