Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert, MP Wayne David and local councillors will be holding a ‘Bedroom Tax’ advice surgery on Friday March 8.
The meeting will take place at the Graig Y Rhacca Resource Centre with the aim of speaking with residents who have concerns about the impact of the UK Government’s welfare reforms. The drop-in surgery is being held between 1pm and 3pm.
From April 1 2013, 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% cut for two spare bedrooms or more.
Critics have labelled the cut a “Bedroom Tax”.
Caerphilly’s Labour Party is worried the loss of benefit will drive more and more people further into poverty and has launched a petition that will be available for people to sign.
In a joint statement Jeff Cuthbert and Wayne David said: “These changes will mean that those least well off will have to pay on average £14 per week more for having the ‘luxury’ of a spare bedroom. The UK Government’s retrospective changes do not take in to consideration the often complex needs of families and we’re concerned that if families are hit with this added tax then there will be a whole series of knock-on effects. With wages and benefits being cut in real terms the last thing our constituents need is an unfair tax like this.”
Mr David raised the issue last week in Parliament during Prime Minister’s Questions where he cited the example of a blind Blackwood couple who may be forced to move from their home of 26 years.
A Facebook group ‘Caerphilly Against The Bedroom Tax’ has also been launched.
Jeff Cuthbert AM Caerphilly and Wayne David MP Caerphilly should be congratulated on their efforts on the part of all the citizens of Caerphilly in respect to this issues, ALL ratepayers of the Borough are likely victims of this odious cobbled together money thieving plan by the Tories with the help of their Lib Dem lapdogs, ALL ratepayers will be losers due to potential homelessness situation which can so easily happen when the poorest families or individuals will not be able to meet the additional charges being placed upon them, and the general ratepayers of the borough having to pick up a potentially hefty re-accommodating homelessness bill, and that process has already started with the Caerphilly council making an additional £500,000 (five hundred thousand pounds) available for the purposes of homelessness and other allied accommodation problems for its residents.
There have been recent calls in the Welsh Assembly to be ` Imaginative` in the way the new regulation apply in Wales, but, the remedy to be ` imaginative` in applying this charge rests with each local Council Landlord and each Housing Association where a second or third `bedroom` is charged as such.
It is within their power to designate a small room under 70 square feet in area as a ` box room` they are allowed to do so under various housing Acts, and therefore such rooms are NOT a bedroom, it would then NOT fall within the consideration of this Bedroom Tax and would be `ignored`in the calculation.
Effected Tenants should check if their additional rooms fall in this category and if they do they should apply to their landlord for a definition or a re-designation of those rooms in respect to their tenancy agreements. it appears such cases are currently being tested before the courts.
Stop calling it a bedroom tax please. It is NOT a tax. It is a cut in housing benefits.
I do think the needy need all the help they can get and I have no problem with my taxes to go towards that. But how is it fair that my hard working and tax paying single friend can only afford to rent a 1 bedroom flat, whilst part of her taxes go towards housing benefits for people to have a spare room they don't need? The mind boggles.