Landlord News

Bedroom Tax Amendment

It has been revealed that MPs have come under pressure to accept an amendment to the government’s plan for a “bedroom tax”.
 
There are over 70 family, disability and housing groups that have written a joint letter to urge MPs to accept the amendment of the Welfare Reform Bill which returned to the House of Commons this week.

The plans meant that 670,000 households, two-thirds of which contained a disable family member, would lose, on average, £670 a year in housing benefit due to the fact that they are deemed to have one or more additional bedrooms.

Back in December, members of the House of Lords voted in favour of a cross-party amendment to excuse the “bedroom tax” from families that have just one additional bedroom where there is no alternative property available.

Furthermore, David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, has been quoted saying: “That so many different organisations, from disabled charities to mortgage lenders, have come together shows just how urgent this amendment has become for Britain’s most vulnerable families.”

He went on to conclude: “For thousands of families this amendment could mean the difference between making ends meet and living in poverty. It’s unfair and unjust to penalise people for under occupying when there are no smaller homes for them to move to. Together, we’re calling on MPs to ensure government listens to the clear message sent by peers by allowing this compromise to stand.”