BEDROOM TAX related. Letter mentioning Childrens Services. AIBU to think this is appalling.

[Darkesteyes]

Apparently if a parent recieves a letter notifying them of eviction proceedings they will be considered to have caused this situation intentionally and Childrens Services will be notified.
Ive seen at least 3 copies of letters like this on Twitter over the past few days. So

twitter.com/robolollycop/status/397035649460498432/photo/1

littleoaktree that's an incredibly ignorant view and smacks of someone who has absolutely no clue of what it's like to live on benefits and struggle to pay bills. I've been trying to move to a smaller property since April, no one wants my 3 bedroom house. Luckily I can pay the extra £80 per month it costs me to have a third bedroom so I'm not in rent arrears. But there's an awful lot of people who can't afford to pay it as has been demonstrated on this thread.

To to remind everyone of Discretionary Housing Payments.

www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/housing_costs/discretionary_housing_payment.aspx

littleoaktree come to my area, where there are very little jobs left for the taking, ones inwhich 200+ people are all applying for. The few jobs that are readily available are zero contract , non permanent jobs that are no good to those that actually need an excisistance with children.
Moving, the same, no money for deposit, no chance of moving even privately. Rents are at an all time high £750 a month for a 2 bedroom terrace, and council or ha do not have any smaller houses to swap with.

Then of course the option of moving: not feasable with again NO money.
To move you need money for removal lorry, time off work, a place cheaper to actually move to. A job to actually commute to, and of course the all important travel costs to actually get to this non-excistant house.

Then there are the disabled, who are being penalised by the council, the very council that moved them to adaptable accomodation in the 1st place.

BillyBanterSun 03-Nov-13 19:23:29

The absolute cheapest, most efficient, and most humane way to help these children would be to support their parents to remain in that home, with, oh I don't know, benefits maybe, which would allow them to meet their rent.

This with bells on. Am astounded that this is happening in 2013.

Am I missing something here? I can't see anywhere on that letter that relates it to the 'bedroom tax'. There could be many reasons why someone would get behind with their rent.

The reason a lot of people who are getting behind with the rent NOW is because NOW they are being affected by the bedroom tax.

DarkesteyesSun 03-Nov-13 18:29:02

Heres another copy of a different letter To the poster who said it doesnt mention bedroom tax.....it wont will it because Government bodies refuse to refer to it as such.

twitter.com/gallusgirl/status/396203873570148352/photo/1

www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/06/secret-cuts-part-three-bedroom-tax

www.katebelgrave.com/2013/11/struggling-with-the-bedroomtax-and-worried-about-kids-being-removed-its-a-danger-game/

Whilst I agree that SS should be informed, the tone of that letter, IMO is intended to alarm the recipient and is therefore misleading

Exactly.

FYI: the council are still pushing me to be in a three bed house, as they want to fund a live in carer as cheaper than live out for them. Now that would be ironic... Robbing Peter to pay Paul springs to mind! No one genuinely thinks about total savings, they think about savings to their own budgets and department targets.

It's not a tax.

The letter seems reasonable, but keeping people with children in their homes would be cheaper almost certainly.

No, but its widely known and referred to almost exclusively as the bedroom tax. Its what is called. Lots of things are called something other than their official name.

The best way to stop all this
Is rent control.
Why is working wage not enough money to pay rent?

If the government set a logical rent for each property then we would not need benefits.

This with bells on. Am astounded that this is happening in 2013.

What are you astounded at? Because children aren't being taken into care because of the bedroom tax. Parents who are otherwise functioning but on low incomes will not get to the point of eviction because of the bedroom tax - they will apply for DHP, they will liaise with housing about downsizing, they will take action, and they will certainly not have their children removed. Parents who are chaotic and not functioning may be tipped into total chaos by the bedroom tax, but that would be one fairly small contributory factor combined with many more significant factors.

I agree that the bedroom tax is heinous, and social services should not be used as a coercive tactic in letters like this, that is outrageous and should not happen. However please don't fuel the hysteria around social services by assuming that any child will be taken into care because of the bedroom tax, directly or even indirectly.

“Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) are sending out a standard letter which tenants are reading as “pay your rent or social services will come and take your children off you”..and you thought social landlords couldn’t get any more incompetent!

The housing association might be making that threat deliberately. That doesn't mean that they are working in cahoots with social services, or that social services are aware or in agreement with these letters.

If you stop to think about it for a moment you would realise that no children would be removed in these circumstances (not without other major reasons) as the cost of doing this would be prohibitive. Plus there wouldn't be enough carers. SW don't remove children from everyone they know to be drug addicts or alcoholics, why would they remove children from families who may be evicted? SW would become involved as supportive measure not a punitive one.

the letter is saying that eviction proceedings have started. but not what the verdict is.

I thought evictions are rarely granted for non payment when children are involved.

so SS involvement is to make the case for the family to remain in the property.

The KHT letter says nothing of the kid btw it simply says ss will be informed ...to offer support and advice ...ss aren't child catchers

There is nothing in that letter to suggest that the rent has gone unpaid because of the bedroom tax.

For all we know on this thread, the person that letter was sent to doesn't even have a spare bedroom.

If you're about to be homeless, believe me, you'll want everyone on side. Children's Services would support you, so please if anyone is in that position, do not be afraid that they're going to 'take your children into care'. I don't scare mongering that puts needy families off seeking help that is out there but not well publicised.

*don't like

Working for children's services I was supporting a homeless family who were told ( with me present) that I would remove the children as they were unable to look after them.
This is repeated all the time by housing here and we aren't removing children.
Our senior management isn't happy with theirs but its not really stopping it