'bedroom Tax' - Anyone Agree With It?

[Gromit]

The so called 'Bedroom Tax' starts today. Anyone receiving Housing Benefit (HB) who has a spare room will have their HB reduced.

Will it solve the housing shortage?
or
Is it a cynical stealthy way to cut the benefits bill?

[DaisyNonna]

You don't have to be old to feel old, or to fear.

[netibiza]

I am in two minds, yes it is nice to have a spare room when the kids come back to stay, but on the other hand, we own our own house and cannot afford an extra room which I would dearly love, so I could have my family to stay. I know of a 70+ yr old woman who lives on her own in a 4 bedded council house with huge garden in NW London, now that is so wrong.

[wardlaw]

We are not just talking about property here. We are talking about peoples homes. Fortunately I am not affected but I think it stinks!

[joko]

so what is the plan then ... are they expecting people to just vacate by a certain date?

given that the people they are moving are presumably moving to another council house, surely they will be allocating the new houses ...?


for the people saying there are not enough houses available to move people into, surely the council will know that and make sure everyone who moves has a place to go, right?

people arent expected to find their own replacements, are they?

perhaps when the find a new place the person is allowed to view it and accept it as a 'fair' swap?



i suspect they a hoping majority of people will not move and just pay the extra money.

also who covers the cost of actually moving?


this doesn't affect me but i have a hell of a lot of stuff and i know if i ever had to move, i simply would not physically be able to do it - it would take many months for me to pack my stuff and then to get it out and to the new place.

will the council be covering these costs?

[askyourgran]

I agree with some of it, but I'm sorry for those who are going to be cramped into a one bed flat/house when they've been sleeping in a bedroom each, for whatever reason, and can't find the money to pay extra.

[emmie]

no they are not expecting people to vacate, they expect many will simply pay up, and if they can't they will be evicted, perhaps not immediately, but you will be if you don't pay the rent. Just like anywhere. This is why it's a mess, brought in pretty quickly, no options of where to move to, and few single occupancy places, those that are are already taken by singles...
i can totally understand the principle behind it, this idea that it frees up space for families, what they haven't said or really bargained for is where do those people move to. And that it won't, as they have admitted, be a welfare saving. I can't answer all your points simply because i dont know them, am as much in the dark as anyone, i only had a rent increase letter two days ago.

[MadMen]

What? He's lost his job?

[EDDIE51]

In future years all this will be irrelevant . Social housing is now allocated for a set time , I think 15 years, after that your situation is looked at and if you no longer need the size of house you are in then that tenancy will be terminated and you will have to move to a smaller place. It is the system of allocating social housing for life that has caused this to be needed.
I know that there will be a huge amount of grief over this but how else can the situation be addressed?
The original cause is the astronomical cost of housing now and the resulting high rents.

[MadMen]

Oh no! How did that happen?

Oh Desky. It doesn't rain for you... it pours, doesn't it :((

[MadMen]

Is that all the text said? "No car"?

I feel so sorry for you Desky.

Hey, I've got a spare bedroom that now needs filling.....


:-/

[Baldric]

Here's your chance to shine now desky, get a job, support the family...

[MadMen]

Ah Desky. You need to get to the jobcentre tomorrow, get to the recruitment agencies too. There's not many jobs out there though, so it may not be as plain sailing as that :((

[fairycakes69]

The local council here a paying an incentive to move, I know of two people who have taken this offer and were given £1500. Two more have decided to stay and pay the extra. I do agree we need more family houses, there were 7 of us in 3 bedroom couldn't get a 4 bed, yet people with 1 child were in the 4 bedrooms, that's unfair .
Yes we need more social housing, but as has been said before, renovate empty buildings which would generate jobs and get the country back on its feet.

[boxtops]

Desky - do you mean his car's been stolen, or he's not allowed to drive it any more - or he's sold it to help pay off all of the debt you both have?

[emmie]

fairycakes, that would be the obvious answer, i have said it any number of times, if they have money in the pot why don't they do it, easy answer because they dont want to, to not have social housing, to do away with it entirely, and make everyone rent, buy privately. Never mind eh.