Bedroom Tax

Author
Discussion

hornetrider

63,161 posts

204 months

Thursday 25th February 2016
quotequote all
Whilst I'm broadly in favour of bedroom tax (or, reduction of benefit if you have more room than you need), the implementation of it has many issues as far as I can see.

If there are no alternatives (ie smaller accommodation) available in the area, I believe you should be exempt from the charge. Also, this case is horrendous (disabled wife living on special bed in 2nd bedroom):

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/...

Eric Mc

121,770 posts

264 months

Thursday 25th February 2016
quotequote all
There are many, many flaws with the application of this set of rules.

Gogoplata

1,266 posts

159 months

Thursday 25th February 2016
quotequote all
hornetrider said:
Whilst I'm broadly in favour of bedroom tax (or, reduction of benefit if you have more room than you need), the implementation of it has many issues as far as I can see.

If there are no alternatives (ie smaller accommodation) available in the area, I believe you should be exempt from the charge. Also, this case is horrendous (disabled wife living on special bed in 2nd bedroom):

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/...
I thought that disabled people were exempt?

Eric Mc

121,770 posts

264 months

Thursday 25th February 2016
quotequote all
Categorising whether a person is disabled for compliance with legislation like this can be quite tricky.

In some cases, "disabled" people can have their rents supported by their local councils. How that is interpreted varies from council to council - so the same disability will result in different outcomes depending on where you live.

In other words, you have a central government policy being interpreted and applied inconsistently by different local authorities.

Central government has a track record of making local government apply unpopular or divisive legislation. It shunts the blame away from the government.

FlyingMeeces

9,932 posts

210 months

Thursday 25th February 2016
quotequote all
Gogoplata said:
hornetrider said:
Whilst I'm broadly in favour of bedroom tax (or, reduction of benefit if you have more room than you need), the implementation of it has many issues as far as I can see.

If there are no alternatives (ie smaller accommodation) available in the area, I believe you should be exempt from the charge. Also, this case is horrendous (disabled wife living on special bed in 2nd bedroom):

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/...
I thought that disabled people were exempt?
Nope. You get a one room 'allowance' if you can prove you have professional* overnight care, but that's all in terms of automatic exemption.

  • which means that eg the couple I know where she survived a stroke and he does the vast bulk of her care unpaid are getting buttfked by this legislation, like the couple in the story.
There desperately needs to be a way for councils to make exempt (and not just cover out of discretionary housing payments, which are limited) people who simply cannot be rehoused somewhere smaller/cheaper, for whatever reason - extremely fragile ill health, heavy dependence on a relative living very nearby for care, specially adapted home which would cost tens of thousands to redo if an 'adaptable' property can even be found, whatever.

The Supreme Court recently ruled some of this unlawful discrimination, but the government are appealing that ruling. God knows why; families like this are a tiny, tiny minority, the DWP'd probably save hundreds of thousands by just accepting the ruling and not dropping cash on a load of QCs.

There's conservatism, and then there's cruelty.