The Labour Party has committed to scrapping the controversial housing benefit reform known by critics as the ‘Bedroom Tax’.
From April 1 this year, changes to housing benefit by the UK Government meant that working-age recipients faced 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 reduction a “Bedroom Tax” and Labour leader Ed Miliband has said Labour would scrap the policy if it won the General Election in 2015.
Wayne David, Labour MP for Caerphilly, has welcomed the promise.
Mr David, alongside Islwn MP Chris Evans and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MP Dai Havard, has been an opponent of the policy.
Earlier this year the three MPs presented an 8,000 signature petition from Caerphilly Borough residents to No 10 Downing Street opposing the tax.
Mr David said: “I am very pleased that Ed Miliband has made this announcement. Two thirds of people who have been hit by the bedroom tax are disabled and this ‘tax’ is totally unfair.
“Ed Miliband has come forward with a carefully costed proposal. Scrapping the bedroom tax will be funded by closing a hedge fund tax loophole. This will mean that those with plenty of money will pay for some of the least well-off being relieved of the burden of the ‘Bedroom Tax’.”
Appeal ‘Bedroom Tax’, campaign group urges
A campaign group opposed to the ‘Bedroom Tax’ is urging people affected to appeal.
Members of Caerphilly County Against the Bedroom Tax assembled in Blackwood on Tuesday September 17 to highlight the appeals process for people who find their housing benefit reduced.
A representative of Caerphilly County against the Bedroom Tax said: “We are urging all tenants to appeal their housing benefit decision if they believe it is unfair, incorrect or they cannot afford it.”
Information on how to appeal can be found on Caerphilly County Borough Council’s website at http://bit.ly/153jqd1
I hope Labour don't win then. I don't want to see a complicated welfare state and I don't want socialism. I want monetarist capitalism!
David Cameron is far from perfect but he's the best of a bad bunch.
I hope Labour win then. I want to see a fair and equitable system of benefits for in need, however complicated that may be. I don`t want a system of blinkered monetarist capitalism.
David Cameron is far from perfect, in fact he the worse of an entire bad bunch. That is why I hope Labour win the next election, so that they can make a reasonable start on reconstructing a a society in which a living wage is paid to everyone, where those in need of help get it, and where a job is just that, a proper job!!!!.
Ooh Trefor, you missed out Clegg. He is undeniably the worst of them all. Left, socialist and a Europhile. It's the worst possible combination.
Even if Labour wins the next election I don't think they will need to bother scrapping the bedroom tax; the coalition would have done away with it by then. It will prove complicated to administer, expensive and unpopular. The last point is crucial, why would the Tories want to handicap their election campaign with such a policy? They will have a tough enough job fending off the challenge of UKIP whose leader would make mince meat of Cameron, Milliband too, in open debate.
Watch out for a re-run of the poll tax affair. John Major threw it away like a hot potato and opted to increase VAT by 2.5% in order to maintain revenue.
Cheryl, You are quite correct I should have put Clegg in the Frame somewhere, and it would be very near the top, but, Left? and a Socialist? if that were a true reflection of his politics then why is he propping up the most odious right wing bunch of chancers who did`nt win an election but `usurped` authority to run this country?.
Neither Cameron or Clegg won a mandate to do anything from the electorate of this country, buy, we have been lumbered with them. Roll on that next election!!!!!!.
It's a very simple reason Trefor and one I think you will agree with.
He is power hungry. He has his own personal, views but is prepared to throw all of those out of the window and become a puppet for Cameron. He has deluded himself to how much influence he and the Lib Dems have. They haven't been in office for so long that they want power…or to feel as if they have some.