'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?

[Iluvspikey]

I've an idea instead of a bedroom tax, why not let people move into the second homes the majority of expence fiddling MP's have.

[boxtops]

desktop, what makes you think that the rest of us get nights out, drinking and smoking etc.? I certainly don't, we never go out - we pay our bills and that's our lot. As for "won't pay" the bedroom tax - nobody's going to ask you to "pay" anything, you just won't get some much in your housing benefits each week. Don't go on about your rights - it's my taxes and everyone else's who's paying your benefits, benefits aren't a right, they are a privilege. My husband's been out working over the holiday - you're not the only one. Stop seeing the world as if you are the only person affected.

[RATTER15]

Well said Boxy, same here!!

[Barmaid]

In principle, I agree with it. However, as has been said, its the implementation that is going to be problematic. I fear that those who will be badly affected will be disabled people who potentially have a need for carers or specialist equipment - and thus have to pay on a room that is not necessarily spare. Then there are those people who need to downsize, but because of the lack of affordable housing which is smaller (I only have to look at the plans for affordable housing in this area to see that there are only a handful of one bedroom places being built) have no choice.

I think it WAS aimed at the feckless and the indolent but will penalise people genuinely in need.

[sandyRoe]

Taking a scatter gun approach is never a good idea.

[boxtops]

well said, bednobs. There was a woman on the news last week who has to sleep in a separate room to her husband as he is severely disabled. They are having their benefit cut. Ridiculous. Unfair.

[Baldric]

Spare bedrooms are a necessity really, take our 5th bedroom (downstairs) if we didn't have that we would have to get a shed to store the bulk bags of dogfood and cases of duty-free, and the 3 empty ones upstairs are kept made-up as spares as people drop in and crash at weekends.

[boxtops]

I'd certainly say one spare bedroom is what most people would like to have - I wouldn't have three, baldric, but we don't have lots of visitors.

[Baldric]

Suprising how many people want to 'weekend' when you live on the coast, we had it at St Margarets as well, all good fun though.

[tiggerblue10]

I'd like a spare bedroom. Not for any particular reason but I'd just like one.

[Barmaid]

Spare rooms just become a haven for junk. I've got 3 and they are full of crap. The amount of crap you keep is directly related to the amount of room you have to store it.

The other people it may affect is separated couples. If a man has two children - but they ordinarily live with their mum they are going to need a room for weekly contact. It's hardly a "spare" room and it can't really be rented out to a lodger yet the chap will need a room to keep contact with his children going.

[emmie]

still running...

[emmie]

iluvspikey, good idea, and let Blair be the first, he has seven or is it eight homes now, why does he need so many.

[sara3]

I doubt he's receiving housing benefit

[emmie]

Barmaid it doesn't apply, it has to be those that live in the property, if they live there permanently need two rooms for the two children then fine, not if they visit occasionally. I had my say earlier, i am only back to it because i am surprised this is still going, lots of hot air, ill feeling and that's just from the coalition, never mind on here.

[jackthehat]

So you've already said, desktop.

Can I please ask that you don't run riot on this site complaining and asking for/ignoring advice once you are in the process of being evicted?

[emmie]

no, but he managed to get a good living from the backs of the ordinary tax payer, not to mention swanned off and left the country in the hands of that arch bumbler Brown. Where is he now, still playing at peace envoy, heaven help them if that's the case, as he didn't bring much peace to these shores.

[Barmaid]

That's the point I was making Em10. If the dad only has his kids say once a week he will suffer. Yet the room can hardly be said to be "spare".