On Thursday 5 December at 6.30pm Thanet’s People’s Assembly Against Austerity will be lobbying Thanet Council to demand no evictions are undertaken for those in arrears from the “bedroom tax”.
A spokesperson for Thanet’s People Assembly said: “The council have said publicly that they are against the bedroom, but they haven’t stated that they won’t actually evict someone who can’t pay the tax.
“We must urge councilors to stand up for people against this much-hated and unfair tax. Come and join us and have your say.”
The lobby will take place at 6.30pm on Thurs 5 Dec at Thanet District Council, Cecil St, Margate CT9 1XZ
More information: peoplesassemblythanet@gmail.com or 07710 244612.
Well I just checked this out with HMR&C and they cannot find a bedroom tax anywhere in their records. Income tax, capital gains tax, road tax, value added tax and several other more obscure taxes, but, bedroom tax, they assure me does not exist. Wonder why people would want to bother lobbying about a non event.
ReplyDeleteTechnically of course, not a tax at all, but a name given to avoid the actual title (rather longer of course). It denotes the withdrawal of a spare room subsidy included in housing benefit paid to the disabled and unemployed. No one knew there was such a thing until it was withdrawn in April 2013. It leaves a section of society in a horrid dilemma as a shortage of decent one-bed flats available to move into - but having to make up the shortfall to the council from their weekly income. Any person not in the situation would find it no problem at all, and might say get out of your house pronto, but it's never that simple. I think government savings could be made from other places and not hitting disabled and unemployed with a big stick - won't ever vote Tory again.
DeleteMadam, the tax, which isn't, applies to the level of benefit awarded so that the home size is appropriate to the needs/family of the claimant. It was not targeted specifically at the disabled, but clearly they sometimes have special needs which require more accommodation than an able bodied claimant. There is an appeal process and to say an individual can only have a one bedroomed home is an over simplification. Equally, there were many cases where people, due to the chicks having flown the nest, were still being funded for properties way beyond their current needs.
DeleteI see you say you will never vote Tory again, if you ever did, but are you not forgetting this was introduced by the Coalition Government, so presumably you will not vote Lib/Dem either. Additionally Labour are being very reticent about coming forward and saying they will reverse the benefit cuts so I guess that rules them out as well. That should leave you a choice between those parties that really have no policy on the issue like UKIP or the Green Party. Whatever you choose I wish you well, but do not expect change for it is not going to happen.
What bedroom tax, and how long has TDC been against bedrooms, what do they think should replace them?
ReplyDelete