Letter to the Editor by Tom Brake MP: Bedroom tax does not affect everyone

As Ms Rosenbaum points out in her letter, there is a shortage of social housing in Britain (420,000 social homes were lost under Labour) and there are also many people living in overcrowded accommodation.

At the same time, however, there are almost one million spare rooms being paid for by housing benefit for working-age people in social housing.

In contrast, people claiming housing benefit in private rented accommodation do not get a spare room subsidy.

The Government is seeking a level playing field between private-rent and social housing, by introducing changes to housing benefit to reflect occupancy. Ms Rosenbaum says this policy will attack the vulnerable.

She may not be aware that the changes will not be applied to pensioners, foster parents, people with severely disabled children, those in temporary housing, disabled people who need an overnight non-resident carer and the recently bereaved.

This is on top of the £30m of discretionary housing payments the Liberal Democrats have secured too help those who are affected.

However, I do appreciate that this will be very a difficult time for those affected, who will have to make some tough decisions and will no doubt find the reduction in their benefit very worrying.

Anyone concerned about these changes is also more than welcome to contact me.

The coalition is making responsible decisions to tackle the deficit that we inherited, the largest in the industrialised world.

Housing benefit costs tax payers £23bn a year, a bill that doubled under Labour.

Before the last election, Labour said spending cuts “deeper and tougher” than Margaret Thatcher’s were needed.

I think it is about time Labour were more honest about the cuts they would make.

TOM BRAKE MP
Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington

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