Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert has joined calls for disabled tenants living in adapted homes to be exempt from housing benefit changes.
Mr Cuthbert, who is the Welsh Government’s Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, has added his name to a letter to the UK Government asking for the change.
The letter, to Lord Freud, the minister in charge of welfare reform, was also signed by Welsh Government Minister for Housing Carl Sargeant and Local Government Minister Lesley Griffiths.
It comes in response to a UK Parliament Work and Pensions Committee report that the ‘Bedroom Tax’ is “causing financial hardship to vulnerable people”.
Mr Cuthbert said: “The ministerial letter is part of our representation to Lord Freud over a number of years raising our concerns regarding the ‘Bedroom Tax’.
“There are constituents of mine as in other parts of Wales who are affected and the letter is on their behalf. Many social housing landlords have noted the fact if you spend money adapting homes and then have to remove them for other tenants, then money has been wasted.”
Mr Sargeant said: “The ‘Bedroom Tax’ is having a profound effect on many of the most vulnerable people in our communities and it makes no sense for money invested in adapting homes to meet the needs of disabled households to be wasted.
“Disabled tenants cannot easily up sticks and move home. They should be exempt from these reforms and should not be left to rely on help from the discretionary housing benefit system.”
The so-called ‘Bedroom Tax’ cuts the amount paid in housing benefit to tenants who are deemed to have spare bedrooms. Its aim is to encourage people to move to smaller properties.
Over 50% of tenants affected by the changes are disabled.
Return a Labour Government next year and this `window tax` will be abolished altogether, end of.
In the meantime I understand Caerphilly council are determined that tenants who are unable to pay, are not legally pursued for the arrears of additional rent imposed by the imposition of this unfair tax by the Lib Dem Tory UK Government, the big question is, can Caerphilly Council hold this position until next year when Labour WILL be elected.?.
You’re right, the tax is unfair. What would be fair is scrapping all subsidies for rent regardless of rooms in the property.
“Over 50% of tenants affected by the changes are disabled.” Bold statement. Any chance of the editor providing source for such a claim?
Hi Dean. Here it is a document from the Department of Work and Pensions.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
Thank you 😀 This is much appreciated.
Torn on this general subject. It’s selfish for people to live in three bedroom council houses when there are only 1 or 2 occupants when younger families desperately need that extra room. On the other side of the coin people are people and not numbers and may have lived in these houses for 20 plus years and think of them as their home. Which by anybodies description they are.
Glad I don’t have to make this decision, pity those that do.
A Caerphilly Council Borough tenant Won a Tribunal Case in Newport yesterday against paying this `TAX` on her rented property, she no longer has to pay it, her case was based on the fact her second bedroom was NOT used by her as bedroom, the Tribunal upheld her appeal, leaving the door open for many other tenants living in similar situations to do the same.
The `peculiar` thing about this Tribunal Hearing was that the Labour Controlled CAERPHILLY COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL opposed the ladies application to the Tribunal, they are now considering taking the issue further together with the Department of Works and Pensions to overturn the Tribunals decision, that, appears to me, to be very odd position for CAERPHILLY Labour Council to take after declaring their total opposition to the law under which the TAX is applied.
Considering the opposition to the entire regulations under which the charge is made by the Labour Party I find it disconcerting that Jeff Cuthberts position on these matters, and I applaud him and support him 100% for taking the stance he takes in line with Labour Policy, is being seriously undermined by the position CAERPHILLY BOROUGH COUNCIL LABOUR ADMINISTRATION is taking in making every attempt to sustain and justify the application of this odious tax on people already suffering financial hardship in the borough.
I fully accept the Council`s responsibility in having to apply the charges in the first place, but, considering their total opposition to the TAX I find it very odd they should then spend more money from the public purse to pursue appeals against people who have legally WON, in legal argument, in a Quasi Court of Law, against having to pay, if appeals are necessary let that be done by Ian Duncan Smith and his dipsy aids.