Benefit cut branded just another poll tax
Controversial housing benefit cuts dubbed the “bedroom tax” could be the coalition government’s “poll tax”, it was claimed today.
A Tory council leader in the West Midlands urged his own party to reconsider stripping people of 14 to 25 per cent of their housing benefit if they live in council or social housing and have one or more spare rooms while MPs and a Tory housing spokesman defended the scheme as a way to make the system fairer.
The Government has now published new guidance for councils allowing parents with severely disabled children to be exempt from rules requiring youngsters to share.
Councillor Mike Bird, Conservative leader of Walsall Council, has criticised the Tories for the plan while others have defended it.
He is concerned that the move will be so unpopular it will do for the coalition what the “community charge” or poll tax did for Margaret Thatcher.
In Cannock Chase it is estimated that 830 are affected, with 744 in Lichfield, 683 in Stafford, 652 in South Staffordshire and 758 in Wyre Forest.
The estimated annual loss is from just over £500 for people with one extra room to £1,000 for two spare rooms.
In reality the “tax” is not a tax at all because it is a reduction in benefit for people who under-occupy their homes and the government is trying to tackle huge waiting lists for council or social housing.
But Councillor Bird said: “It comes into force on April Fool’s Day – that’s a good day for it. I do think this is David Cameron’s poll tax moment
“I can see what they’re trying to do but I’d far rather they were clamping down on benefit fraud.”
The plan has been defended by Councillor Jodie Jones, shadow housing spokesman on Cannock Chase Council, who said: “I hear from families in Cannock Chase almost every week who are crammed into one bedroom flats, or staying with friends or family while they wait for a family property.
“How can it be right to be at the same time subsidising at least 574 households to have a spare room?
“What solution do critics of this move offer for these families? I cannot look them in the eye and justify paying for some people to live with one, two or more spare bedrooms, while they cram into a single room, sleep on sofas for months on end, or have to live separately. All the time those paying for their own housing costs have to make difficult decisions about what they need, and what they can afford.”
South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson added: “It’s not David Cameron’s poll tax for many reasons, mainly because it’s not a tax.
“There are key exemptions for disabled tenants and the Government has put in place lots of measures to make sure that there is as much fairness in this as possible.
“The previous Labour government did not make the difficult decisions it should have made which is why the coalition was left to deal with this.”
Paul Uppal, MP for Wolverhampton South West, added: “Labour has been smart in defining it as a tax when it isn’t. It’s about people living within their needs.”
Comments for: "Benefit cut branded just another poll tax"
on the streets soon
cameron and his cronies have been at the holiday brochures for this idea under occupancy he just ain't got the guts to say he is cutting benefits he goes on about fairness but it's always the most poor who pay the highest price ,talk about hitting some one when you down
Peter
£500 a year... try again, I'm unemployed in rented accommodation with one spare room and was hit by the reduction in rent payment many months ago and have to find an extra £120 per month or £1,440 a year that is 25% of my income..
steve B
Its basicly a tax for the poor lets be honest ... nothing to do with over crowding . Cameron said he would look after the poor.. yeah he is doing a good job.
Me
"“I hear from families in Cannock Chase almost every week who are crammed into one bedroom flats, or staying with friends or family while they wait for a family property." Then STOP letting so many PEOPLE into the country. "“The previous Labour government did not make the difficult decisions it should have made which is why the coalition was left to deal with this.” This coalition is doing enough damage on it's own.. only so much you can blame on others. You CONTINUE to spend £BILLIONS on overseas interests, and the EU. You don't LISTEN (and it will be your loss come elections).
Angry Allan
There are hardly any immigrants in Cannock, I know, I live there. The small number of immigrants we do have are mainly in gainful or self made employment. They inflict little or no burden on social housing in Cannock, so your comments are ignorant and way wide of the mark.
People need to stop blaming all our ills on the immigrant population. Its lazy, untrue and frankly dangerous. Its a ruse by the far right elements in the upper echelons of our society, and the lesson is imprinted in history for us all to learn.
Angry Allan
I should add to clarify: Social housing in Cannock is completely skewed towards flats. There are tons of them, Chadsmoor, Carfax, Rumour Hill etc, whereas council houses have either been sold off en masse, or knocked down (Bevan Lee). That is the cause of the problem - a shortage of social housing, in Cannock (the example YOU gave) - not immigrants.
facts
Do you think we will be going back to the days of the gypsy canavans again, moving from town to town looking for work. can anybody tell me why they moved gypsies out of their canavans to live in something just as small now!
And why is Wolverhampton council still advertisting two bedrooms flats for single people!
Also where is all this extra tax going to, maybe building more social housing would be a good idea!
I'm a size 8 in shoe size, will they be cutting my toes off because I wear larger size shoes than other women.
and who will they target next, hospital beds 2 people per bed 1 up 1 down!
toby wolverhampton
here we go again pick on the poor to so the rich make more money why dont councils get rid of all the fat cats that sit in big offices all day and do nothing and stop giveing out large pay rises to them all and all these money grabing claw backs i.e council tax /poll tax /now bedroom tax well you wont be gettin in next time it killed maggie thatcher of with all her stupid money grabing well see how you fallwith your bedroom tax o and to all the big i am/s out there who are on big wages think of those who could not afford to eat yersterday or those moms that give up there meals for there kids to eat or go with out the simple things so they can get a little heating
on the street ( soon )
why is it that whenever the country is in trouble the people on benefits low paid sick and disabled get the blame , Cameron I thought you were going to help society not make peoples lives worse it's a wonder that you don't bring back hanging if you steal bread ,how do you sleep at night in your 20 bedroom house at tax payers expense as do all you hard working M P 'S PLUS THE USUAL EXPENSES what makes you so different
yoy
what about Cameron letting the rich of paying tax on the meany big homes sitting empty he would not tax them
and what about MP'S second homes lying empty most the time its a joke
Cameron is only out for his rich and he keeps kicking the working class and poor you can see it coming he will kick once too often and people will kick back ...............
Pete
Yoy. VERY MUTE POINT RE; MP'S SECOND HOMES WHAT WE PAY FOR. I SAY TAKE THEM BACK, SELL THEM OFF AND GIVE THEM BUS/TRAIN PASSES TO GET TO WESTMINSTER AND IF IT'S AN OVERNIGHT MEETING USE A CHEAP HOTEL !! THATS TRANSPARENT MR CAMERON !
9.25, Its time for....................................Jeremy Kyle..............No! Used my bus pass!!!!
If they want my vote its going to cost them 14% of my rent for the year or in the bin it goes!
Yes, some people may have more bedrooms then they need but why did the council reward these properties out to single people in the first place?
Living in social housing is a roof over your head. not an investment because you are only allowed to have £6,000 in the bank or you are not entitled to social housing and what kind of home does that buy!
Also why are families making themselves overcrowed, if it because some are losing their homes couldn't they still live in the same property and the government claim back the rent when they sell it after they have rehoused them in a social housing!
A-Z
Living in social housing is a bit like using a supermarket trolley,you get to used it but you don't get to keep it!
billy
well here we go again poor being screwed yet again if its not fuel duty road tax insurance it bedroom tax why is it if you come in this country you get free liveing gas electric good benifits if you have lived in this country for life its a prison sentence with poor liveing i have worked all my life and my partner but neither of us have anything left when we have paid everything out why is it fat cats get bigger pay rises its about time they were brought to justice and made to hand over some ofthe big bounus to this country instead of banking it to off shore accounts and big tax fiddles well there is two here that wont be voting for them i would rather give it to bnp