Victims of Bedroom Tax facing "severe financial hardship and distress" MPs warn

First topic message reminder :




Reform: Work and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith

Victims of the Bedroom Tax are facing “severe financial hardship and distress”, MPs warn today.

In a withering report, they say Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare shake up is hitting the vulnerable and putting more people on streets.

The findings by the Commons Work and Pensions committee comes as new figures show more than two million of the poorest families have been hit by council tax rises.

The committee says there is conclusive evidence that people hit by the bedroom tax are “suffering financial hardship.”

It says the hated policy is “having a particular impact on people with disabilities, especially those living in adapted accommodation, or who need an extra room as a result of their disability, and who are unlikely to be able to move house or enter work.”

“There is evidence that many of these people are suffering financial hardship,” the report says.

And its says the impact of the bedroom tax - which docks the housing benefit of anyone in social housing deemed to have a spare room - has hurt people in the north of England far more than in the south of the country.

Households in the North have lost £160million compared to £30million for those in the South East since it was introduced a year ago.

The all-party committee of MPs said Mr Duncan Smith should immediately exempt the disabled from the tax if they had their home specially adapated.

The committee also warned the cuts to housing benefit were responsible for “increased levels of homelessness.”

And it said the cap on benefits was unfairly penalising carers who were now being pushed into work rather than caring for loved ones.

Committee chair Dame Anne Begg MP said many victims of the bedroom tax were “vulnerable groups” who were not able to move house or find a job.

“The Government’s reforms are causing severe financial hardship and distress to vulnerable groups, including disabled people,” she said.

Dame Anne said 60 to 70% of the homes affected by the tax included a disabled person who could not move easily to a smaller property.

“So they have to remain in their homes with no option but to have their Housing Benefit reduced,” she said.

Meanwhile, a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found 2.3million of the poorest households will have seen their council tax bill rise by an average of £149 this year.

This includes 70,000 families who have been forced to pay rates for the first time because of the axing of council tax benefit by Eric Pickles.

The benefit was replaced by Council Tax Support last year but the money was not ring-fenced meaning many town halls have cut the support or withdrawn it altogether.

Chris Goulden, Head of Poverty Research at JRF, said: “For a second successive year, the country’s poorest families are facing big increases in council tax.

"This change to the welfare system is largely below the radar but has significant impact for families already struggling to get by on a low income. Paying this tax increase will be beyond most, pushing them into deeper hardship.”

Shadow Communities Secretary Hilary Benn said: “It is utterly cynical for David Cameron and Nick Clegg to claim they have taken the lowest paid out of tax when over two million low-paid workers, disabled people and carers have had their council taxes forced up under this Tory-led Government.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/victims-bedroom-tax-facing-severe-3338752#ixzz2xl6pbm6S
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

       Bastards.

People need to be made aware that if you have a Labour MP, they will help out, in many cases, when you are in a fight with the DWP in particular.

I was quite pleasantly surprised when only after a couple of days of contacting my Labour MP, i got a call from the HQ offering assistance against this wretched and evil coalition.

Television Licence discount is really going to pay the rent. And you only get that discount if you are blind.

The vehicle one gives you a blue badge and you don't have to pay the vehicle tax.

You didn't read it, did you?

And the homeless Sassy?

You haven't forgotten have you?

Read the report, it tells you.

Sassy wrote:Read the report, it tells you.

It's from the Mirror ...

Sassy wrote:Television Licence discount is really going to pay the rent.   And you only get that discount if you are blind.

The vehicle one gives you a blue badge and you don't have to pay the vehicle tax.  

You didn't read it, did you?

There are other benefits. Stop picking out the ones which you want and look into all of them.

FFS, are you incapable to looking up the report on the Parliament site?

Right things to do, I'll leave you two to show the world how little you care about anyone else.

Sassy wrote:FFS, are you incapable to looking up the report on the Parliament site?

Right things to do, I'll leave you two to show the world how little you care about anyone else.

Post a link then. I'm not here to do your work for you.

The point is that nobody seems to care about those who are not council tenants, so there needs to be a level playing field to level out the favouritism which council tenants had before.

"This includes 70,000 families who have been forced to pay rates for the first time because of the axing of council tax benefit"


Frigging lucky b4st4rds! I work bloody hard to pay mine - have done since I was 20!

BigAndy9 wrote:"This includes 70,000 families who have been forced to pay rates for the first time because of the axing of council tax benefit"


Frigging lucky b4st4rds!  I work bloody hard to pay mine - have done since I was 20!

I agree same here , those with children under 5 dont pay anything but everyone else pays £8 a month and they are still moaning they think they should be exempt from paying anything .

VOD(original) wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:"This includes 70,000 families who have been forced to pay rates for the first time because of the axing of council tax benefit"


Frigging lucky b4st4rds!  I work bloody hard to pay mine - have done since I was 20!

I agree same here , those with children under 5 dont pay anything but everyone else pays £8 a month and they are still moaning they think they should be exempt from paying anything .

?

What do you mean those with children under 5 don't pay council tax?

BigAndy9 wrote:

VOD(original) wrote:
I agree same here , those with children under 5 dont pay anything but everyone else pays £8 a month and they are still moaning they think they should be exempt from paying anything .

?

What do you mean those with children under 5 don't pay council tax?

sorry was rushing when posting, people unemployed with children under 5 don't pay any council tax

VOD(original) wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:


?

What do you mean those with children under 5 don't pay council tax?

sorry was rushing when posting, people unemployed with children under 5 don't pay any council tax

Ah, understood lol

BigAndy9 wrote:

VOD(original) wrote:
sorry was rushing when posting, people unemployed with children under 5 don't pay any council tax

Ah, understood lol

still not sure why they can't pay anything like we all have to

Does anyone ever think about the people who are paying for all this? The people who keep this country going? Without them there would be no benefits at all.

Why should someone slog away at work with all the stress that brings, and then pay a lot of tax so that someone who pays nothing can have a spare room? They already help to pay their rent for them, and their living expenses. A lot of them probably can't afford a spare room themselves.

Raggamuffin wrote:Does anyone ever think about the people who are paying for all this? The people who keep this country going? Without them there would be no benefits at all.

Why should someone slog away at work with all the stress that brings, and then pay a lot of tax so that someone who pays nothing can have a spare room? They already help to pay their rent for them, and their living expenses. A lot of them probably can't afford a spare room themselves.

..many of these people are seriously ill and need another bedroom for when a relative comes to stay to help look after them.

Joy Division wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Does anyone ever think about the people who are paying for all this? The people who keep this country going? Without them there would be no benefits at all.

Why should someone slog away at work with all the stress that brings, and then pay a lot of tax so that someone who pays nothing can have a spare room? They already help to pay their rent for them, and their living expenses. A lot of them probably can't afford a spare room themselves.

..many of these people are seriously ill and need another bedroom for when a relative comes to stay to help look after them.

 
I've already said there should be some exceptions, but all this bleating in general is absurd.

I've reached the conclusion that nobody has bothered to take in and understand the people that the MPs are talking about, because if they had, all the posts against this are simply pointless.   I can only conclude that people on the RW are not only without empathy, but are illiterate as well and unable to absorb facts.

Sassy wrote:I've reached the conclusion that nobody has bothered to take in and understand the people that the MPs are talking about, because if they had, all the posts against this are simply pointless.   I can only conclude that people on the RW are not only without empathy, but are illiterate as well and unable to absorb facts.

Where's your empathy for the tax payers who actually have to go to work to earn their money? Nowhere, that's where.

  

    

    ....Come on Owen!

Show your cards, get into government!!!!

Catman wrote:


    

This boy is a hero in waiting!   

Id love to sit down and have a chat with Owen Jones, perhaps in the future, it could be arranged, with a donation towards the charity of his choice, Labbi Siffrey quite liked our political chats.

It's a mission!   

Catman wrote:Id love to sit down and have a chat with Owen Jones, perhaps in the future, it could be arranged, with a donation towards the charity of his choice, Labbi Siffrey quite liked our political chats.

It's a mission!   

Is he gay ?

VOD(original) wrote:

Catman wrote:Id love to sit down and have a chat with Owen Jones, perhaps in the future, it could be arranged, with a donation towards the charity of his choice, Labbi Siffrey quite liked our political chats.

It's a mission!   

Is he gay ?

Yes.

He doesn't really talk about his sexual orientation, that much openly though, he thinks more about his politics.

Catman wrote:

VOD(original) wrote:
Is he gay ?

Yes.

I thought that's why you supported him . He is very powerful for such a young person he will go long way

VOD(original) wrote:

Catman wrote:

Yes.

I thought that's why you supported him . He is very powerful for such a young person he will go long way

It's his politics that excites me the most, the fact that he's gay, is just an added bonus tbf.

  

I thought Osborne and Cameron had already taxed each other to death in the bedroom? ::D:: 

your mindset is all ways below the belt.

nicko wrote:your mindset is all ways below the belt.

I don't want to undo anyone's belt.
Depends which direction it goes though eh Nicko?

I only direct it at those who bumfcuk this country, and my post was just a bit of fun.

..im sure your used to far worse over at Flop.  

Lighten up lad.