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Original poster

the woman that killed herself over the bedroom tax

164 replies

marjproops · 12/05/2013 19:58

terrible story.

one of the politicians saying on the news she must have had other probs to have done this?

another government excuse to fob off what theyve done?

womans son said she was fine before BT came into fruition. he said its the people in big offices and big houses that have done this, and she said in her suicide note its their fault.

Im really struggling too with this BT , Im sure lots of people are, someone on the news said its not fair especially on the disabled who've had adaptations made, (we're in that category).

so....another fob off by the government, or do you think theyll stop this anytime soon?

OP posts:
Cloverer · 12/05/2013 19:59

She probably did have other problems.

But that's the thing - most people affected by the bedroom tax are vulnerable, most of them will have other problems.

C999875 · 12/05/2013 20:35

So sad her poor mind must have been in an utter termoil. This will the first of many suicides though. There is only so much that a human being can take. xx

WMittens · 12/05/2013 20:38

Someone who commits suicide (or plans to) is likely to have some disposition in their psychological makeup towards suicide.

numbum · 12/05/2013 20:38

most people affected by the bedroom tax are vulnerable, most of them will have other problems.

^this

I didn't read the thread the other day about the country not going to pot because I knew I'd end up fuming about it when things like this are going on.

Original poster
marjproops · 12/05/2013 20:40

with you, numbum.

and vulnerable does not neccessarily mean mentally unstable.

OP posts:
WafflyVersatile · 12/05/2013 20:41

to which my reply is ''your job as a government is to support vulnerable citizens not increase their burden until it is intolerable''.

CloudsAndTrees · 12/05/2013 20:41

People with healthy minds do not commit suicide over £14 a week or whatever it is.

Of course she had other problems. This may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camels back, but it wasn't the sole cause.

Original poster
marjproops · 12/05/2013 20:41

and yy to C999875 too.

OP posts:
WafflyVersatile · 12/05/2013 20:44

I really dislike use of the phrases 'most vulnerable' 'poorest'. Where is the line between most vulnerable and just vulnerable? 'most vulnerable' could be one person. As a society we should assist all vulnerable people. We should assist the 'poor' not just the poorest.

That said this government are only interested in helping the richest and most powerful. The poorer, the more vulnerable you are the less interested they are in doing anything other than castigating you and punishing you.

Original poster
marjproops · 12/05/2013 20:45

and yy to what waffly said too. what Ive been thinking.

clouds when you really literally havent got £14 a week.?

on top of rent/mortgage, food/water/gas/electricity/travel expenses/clothing (even though you can be as frugal as you possibly can) £14 a week is like been asked to pay a million pounds a week.

OP posts:
Inertia · 12/05/2013 20:46

Exactly as Waffly Versatile said: to which my reply is ''your job as a government is to support vulnerable citizens not increase their burden until it is intolerable''.

We are supposed to be a civilised society, yet this government continues to demonise and blame the poor and vulnerable for the financial crisis, placing the austerity burden disproportionately on those least able to manage it.

edam · 12/05/2013 20:47

cloudsandtrees - it may only be £14 a week to you - in fact I think it was £20 - but to her it was the difference between having a home and being thrown out, between surviving and drowning. Can you really not see that if you don't have a spare grand a year and no way of getting one, and the government are going to throw you out of your house, it's terrifying?

squeakytoy · 12/05/2013 20:47

It is tragic, and this scheme does seem to have been very badly implemented, but where do the govt draw the line.. a single person living in a three bedroom house when there are families overcrowded in one and two bedroom flats.. I would find it hard to believe that there was no swap available for her if she couldnt afford to stay where she was.

I do think there should be some better service in place to sort this out.

OwlinaTree · 12/05/2013 20:49

advice on suicide

Suicide is very complex, there will be other factors at play. It's always very sad tho.

AKissIsNotAContract · 12/05/2013 20:53

It's not just the extra money she had to find, it's the labelling of people as 'scroungers' this government turning people against the poor and blaming them for their situations. All that stuff would have affected her self esteem.

Poor woman, it's such a sad situation that could have been avoided.

Cloverer · 12/05/2013 20:53

There is a shortage of 1 bed properties
People in rent arrears are not allowed to swap anyway
400,000 of the 600,000 affected are disabled or have disabled children - not easy to just move even if there was somewhere available to go
100,000 of those live in specially adapted houses so impossible for them to move

WafflyVersatile · 12/05/2013 20:59

Maybe we could build more (truly) social housing, council housing. We managed it before.

Young adults under a certain age should move back home rather than claim benefits according to this government, even if their home is abusive. But any parent living in social housing who would like to keep a room in case their child needs to come home must pay £14 for the privelige, even if there is nowhere for them to move to.

This government are attacking the poor from every angle.

I hope they all end their days in a damp studio flat eating out of bins. (the government, not the current poor)

Original poster
marjproops · 12/05/2013 21:02

thanx cloverer. and on a personal note, when we moved into our place (just DC and I) the '3rd' room was classed as a boxroom (barely room for a box even) and not a bedroom.

suddenly, to get more from us its a bedroom.

was adapted for disabilities, and now being told i stay and pay (i cant afford the £19.a week, plus now council tax) or go.

trying in vain to swap house but no one wants this and those who HAVE looked round have said same, 'this isnt a 3rd bedroom, its a large cupboard'. but council/local politicain/gov wont accept that.

OP posts:
CloudsAndTrees · 12/05/2013 21:02

I can see that, and I do understand that it would be terrifying. And for her, maybe it was too terrifying. But I don't think it would have been that terrifying for someone who had no other problems whatsoever.

Ihaveavoo · 12/05/2013 21:34

It's really sad that someone has committed suicide but I can't help feeling for the driver whom she stepped in front of.
It was an ordinary day for him/her and next thing, someone has stepped in front of your vehicle and are now dead in front of you.

chateauferret · 12/05/2013 21:41

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness; annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery". Ch. Dickens, David Copperfield.

chandellina · 12/05/2013 22:04

I don't support the bedroom tax but I also don't think it's worth killing yourself over, obviously. To me it's like the nurse who couldn't cope with a couple of djs ringing up - makes no sense and there must be much bigger problems at work, otherwise half the population would be under a bus on a bad day.

HollyBerryBush · 12/05/2013 22:09

If the whole story were read rather than headlines you'd see she had a debilitating illness plus the council had offered to rehouse her but she didn't like the location, and given her £2K to move properties, but she spent it.

much more at play than the headlines suggest.

Jan49 · 12/05/2013 22:28

Very very sad to think that someone killed themselves over money. Perhaps it was the last straw or just the thought of moving was frightening and more than she could cope with.Sad

I think some of the fault lies with the whole system of people being allowed to rent a house (through the council or a housing association) which is the right size for their family at the time and no expectation by either side that they will ever be expected to move even though the children grow up and leave home. You wouldn't rent a house privately and expect to live there for decades. I don't think people ought ever to have been allocated a council house as a 'forever home'. It's not practical and with council housing having been sold off, it means there aren't enough houses for later generations.

LouiseSmith · 12/05/2013 22:28

I think personally, there must be other factors. I am sorry but the lasy in question could have moved, with all due respect we had months notice of these changes, she had more than enough time to move. The government or local council would have helped her down size. I read somewhere it was over an extra 20pound a week rent. I mean honestly,

If she really didn't want to leave her family home that badly her family could of helped her out, or you know a job. I honestly thing the government are not wholly to blame, people don't just step infront of moving traffic without some fore of for warning.

On a side note, I feel for her family, and for the poor driver who was dragged into this event unwillingly, and will have to live with the guilt for the rest of his/her life.