Plaid Cymru’s South Wales East AM Jocelyn Davies, has called on Housing Minister Huw Lewis, to use powers to designate rooms in the homes of people who maybe affected by the so-called ‘bedroom tax’..
From April this year, changes to housing benefit by the UK Government will mean that working-age recipients could face a cut of 14%to their payments for one spare bedroom, and a 25% for two spare bedrooms or more. More than 15,000 people in Caerphilly County Borough are in receipt of housing benefit.
On the floor of the Senedd last month, former Housing Minister Jocelyn Davies challenged the current Housing Minister to use his imagination and explore his powers over the designation of additional rooms.
She said spare rooms on the first floor of a home were often not used as bedrooms at all and that some people could be penalised unfairly.
Ms Davies asked the Minister: “We’re all aware of the imminent changes in welfare and the introduction of the so-called bedroom tax. There could be serious repercussions in terms of homelessness.
“Minister does the Welsh Government have powers over the designation of rooms, specifically can you introduce a more flexible designation of rooms rather than the current method of every room upstairs being designated as a bedroom? Re-designation could have a huge impact in alleviating the pressure that will be brought to bear on people facing the bedroom tax.”
In response, the Housing Minister Huw Lewis said that he was unsure of his powers over the designation of rooms.
Ms Davies added: “People in the housing sector have said that the forthcoming changes will hit people like a ‘hurricane’ especially in areas where there is a shortage of smaller properties. It is quite incredible that even if a tenant agrees to down-size and applies for smaller accommodation, they will still face swathing cuts in housing benefits if there is a local shortage of smaller homes. Many tenants have told me that there is simply no one-bedroom accommodation available.
“What I’ve asked the Minister to do today is precisely what his party promised at the last election: to stand up for Wales in the face of Westminster’s cuts.
“Many vulnerable people will have an additional room for very good reasons such as space for carers and they may require space to store essential equipment.
“The Welsh Government should flex its muscles and protect those facing cuts. It can do that by re-designating rooms.”