Sandwell tenants downsize to avoid bedroom tax

There has been a rush by families to downsize their properties in a bid to avoid a cut in their housing benefits.

Since bedroom tax started in April 2013, a total of 197 tenants have requested a transfer.

Under the welfare reforms, anyone in council or social rented housing faces a 14 per cent or 25 per cent cut in their housing benefit if they have one or more spare bedrooms – meaning families potentially paying hundreds of pounds extra a year in rent unless they move to a smaller home.

The figures show that 140 families asked for a move between April 2013 and March 2014. Since April this year, there have been 57 requests.

Deputy council leader Steve Eling said he had sympathy for residents and said there was likely to be many more looking to move but the borough had a shortage of suitable properties.

He added: "It comes down very much to them being able to find something suitable becoming available.

"Across the country there aren't enough smaller properties for people to downsize into, and that's one of the major failures with the whole bedroom tax issue.

"It's not just about people exercising their choice, it's about them having somewhere to move to.

Other people have tried to find the money because they don't want to move. People being forced to move out of long-term homes isn't very nice, and I don't think people took account of that with this legislation.

"We knew at the start in terms of people in three-bedroom houses who would need to move to two beds, we didn't have that number of two bed properties for people to move to.

"The block of council housing was all built as family housing with three bedrooms, and that's across the country, so it's hardly surprising that there are not the two bed houses that people need to move into, the were never built.

"I just think the Government didn't think about that. It appears to me it didn't even cross their minds."

The bedroom tax has also contributed to people falling behind on their rent.

The council said £3,055,081.85 was owed by 10,905 tenants but council chiefs say arrears have been around the £3 million mark for some time.

In neighbouring borough Dudley, almost 350 council tenants have moved to small properties since April last year.

The figures also include older residents who have decided to downscale to a smaller home but are not affected by the tax.