Labour commits to abolishing bedroom tax

[Pete]

Ed Miliband to describe tax as 'symbol of an out-of-touch, uncaring government standing up for interests of privileged few'

At last, some common sense from a politician.

As long as they don't do "Cleggy" on it if they do get in at the next election.

http://bit.ly/16eAX2A

[Old Cruser]

Not surprising really as Labour have rubbished it since it was brought out.

There have been some cases recently in scotland I think where the issue of the sizes of rooms which are claimed to be bedrooms have infact been undersized.

Can't quite remember if it's under 50 square feet. (will check that out)

When my daughter had to pay it I called Welfare Rights.
When I said I thought it was against her human rights not to have support in during the night when ill - I just got a pregnant pause???

Clearly they were taken off guard with that comment
Seems there is more than me saying this

[Pete]

I saw a story this weekend about the bedroom tax that made me think. What do think?

"The head of one of the country's biggest housing associations has warned of a rise in evictions of tenants because of the government's new under-occupancy penalty, more commonly known as the bedroom tax.

Mark Rogers, chief executive of Circle Housing Group, which manages 65,000 homes, said he felt it was inevitable that there would be a long-term increase in the number of people failing to pay their rent."

"In recent weeks the group has seen a "new pattern of arrears developing" likely to be repeated nationally, with 50% of tenants paying the charge in full, 25% part-paying and 25% not paying at all.

Rogers said there were simply not enough vacant smaller properties for people affected to move into to avoid the charge."

So what are folks living on their own with a spare bed room supposed to do? If they are old and at the bottom of the "importance" scale and there are no single bedroom properties available?

http://bit.ly/17Gw9B2

[Old Cruser]

It shouldn't apply to pensioners Pete.
All what the gov were being warned about regarding the bedroom tax is happening, many are in arrears now. It's so unrealistic what they have tried to do.
I didn't know until 5 mins ago when I read the Benefits and Work email that the Lib Dems had voted against it
See below a clip from B&Work

Also see below of the fraud of a DWP fraud investigator

BEDROOM TAX NEWS
The Labour Party have given a headline grabbing undertaking to scrap the bedroom tax if they are elected in 2015.
The Liberal Democrat’s conference also voted in favour of overturning the tax (members only)- against the wishes of leader, Nick Clegg.However, the bedroom tax is already causing huge amounts of distress to sick and disabled claimants, many of whom will be threatened with homelessness long before the next election.
A report by campaigning group False Economy shows that over 50,000 council house tenants have already fallen into rent arrears because of the bedroom tax.
The National Housing Federation has also reported that 30,000 of their tenants - more than half of the social housing tenants affected by the bedroom tax - have also built up rent arrears as a result.
One glimmer of hope for some affected tenants has been the first successful appeals against the tax.
In our last newsletter we reported that a first-tier tribunal judge had found that if a room was too small to legally be treated as a bedroom for an adult under the Housing Act 1985, then it could not lawfully be treated as a bedroom for benefits purposes.
In a bulletin issued to all local authorities, the DWP have now said that they intend to appeal against this decision and that, in the meantime, when deciding whether to apply the bedroom tax “the only consideration should be the composition of the household and the number of bedrooms as designated by the landlord, but not by measuring rooms.”
There’s an interesting assessment of the bulletin in the excellent SPeye blog.
The guidance does not in any way prevent claimants from using the Housing Act argument in their own appeals.
CPAG have also announced today that they are launching a judicial review of a bedroom tax decision involving a disabled child who requires overnight care.


OTHER BENEFITS NEWS
The DWP are keeping very quiet about it, as are the Daily Mail, but a DWP fraud investigator has just been convicted of involvement in a massive tax fraud involving a dormant charity. She and her husband are now awaiting jail sentences.
Meanwhile, over at Emma Harrison’s A4E, nine members of staff who were involved with the work programme have been charged with no fewer than 60 offences of fraud and forgery. The A4E employees are charged with having falsely claimed to have got people into work in order to receive payments from the DWP.

[Pete]

You got a link for that OC? Very interesting...

[Old Cruser]

Have had to email it you Pete as it comes up in my in box as a block page.
Share it all or some of it on the forum if you want.
 

[Pete]

Thanks OC. Will do.