Bedroom tax to be extended to pensioners.

[ivan edake 13]

According to a T.V news report it would seem that the despised Bedroom Tax is to be extended to pensioners in 2018.This will of course hit the poorest of pensioners.So much for our unelected prime ministers promise of fairness to all,these tories are all the same,rob the poor to feed the rich is their motto.

[andrejuan 10]

So, pensioners will be forced to pay up or move. No need in my opinion, with the current system there will be no additional pensioners in that situation and eventually none.

So why? for the sake of a small reduction in costs for a short time, crazy.

It isn't a Tory thing though, the Labour party generally don't reverse cost saving policies put in by other parties, and vice versa.

Robbing the poor to feed the rich, I don't know what is meant by that in this situation.

[ECCOnoob 1,051]

According to a T.V news report it would seem that the despised Bedroom Tax is to be extended to pensioners in 2018.This will of course hit the poorest of pensioners.So much for our unelected prime ministers promise of fairness to all,these tories are all the same,rob the poor to feed the rich is their motto.

 

"fairness" is an interesting choice of word.

 

Maybe some believe that fairness is considered when you have taxpayer monies subsidising for pensioners to single occupy a 2/3 bedroomed property when there are families who cannot find any suitable council housing living in B&Bs or temporary facilities.

 

I think its perfectly arguable that if you are living in a taxpayer subbed property and want to keep the extra unoccupied rooms you pay extra for it.

 

Its the same old argument. If you dont OWN it why should you demand you keep it.

 

Pensioners or not, renting is renting.

Edited October 1, 2016 by ECCOnoob

[tzijlstra 11]

Can't believe pensioners were exempt. Oh wait, I can, they vote.

[Hashtag 10]

I doubt it will happen that close to an election, mother Teresa may, ain't that stupid, plus it's the blue rinse brigade that are more likely to vote.

[RonJeremy 10]

How is it even a tax? What a load of rubbish.

[andrejuan 10]

"fairness" is an interesting choice of word.

 

Maybe some believe that fairness is considered when you have taxpayer monies subsidising for pensioners to single occupy a 2/3 bedroomed property when there are families who cannot find any suitable council housing living in B&Bs or temporary facilities.

 

I think its perfectly arguable that if you are living in a taxpayer subbed property and want to keep the extra unoccupied rooms you pay extra for it.

 

Its the same old argument. If you dont OWN it why should you demand you keep it.

 

Pensioners or not, renting is renting.

 

Well considered post, and most of it hard to disagree with. The point being that moving house for older pensioners is arguably much more traumatic than a young person. More to the point this is a temp. situation and will disappear in time without intervention.

I agree we have a housing shortage, and something has to be done, but pensioners are already being moved as they become unable to manage in their homes.

Another thing I have noticed about housing, when I was a kid my Gran voluntarily moved into a one bed flat when her two bed home was no longer needed. It was a block of six and all were older folk. I am told those flats are now occupied exclusively by single youngsters.

Why is that?

[the_bloke 17]

'It flows from then-Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that housing benefit in social housing will be limited to the level of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the cap used in the private rented sector.'

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bedroom-tax-pensioners-social-housing-housing-crisis-council-houses-a7340136.html

 

Makes sense to me, I never saw why people in privately rented property claiming housing benefit should have harsher restrictions than those in council houses.

 

'Housing associations say that, in London and the South-east, the impact may not be severe, because the one-bedroom LHA rate is likely to be higher than the existing social housing rent charge.

 

But across the rest of the country – where private rents are cheaper – the LHA cap is set much lower, in line with private rents, threatening tenants with big benefit cuts.'

 

I think you'd have to look very hard indeed to find a council house that costs more money to rent than the equivalent private property, considering council houses are heavily subsidised to keep the costs down.

 

LHA for a one bedroom property in Sheffield is £94.80 a week - you've got to look hard for a council property costing much more than that in Sheffield, even for a three bedroom house.

[Penistone999 10]

According to a T.V news report it would seem that the despised Bedroom Tax is to be extended to pensioners in 2018.This will of course hit the poorest of pensioners.So much for our unelected prime ministers promise of fairness to all,these tories are all the same,rob the poor to feed the rich is their motto.

 

People receiving HB in the private rental sector have to pay for spare bedrooms themselves , so why should people in social housing get them paid for . ?

 

All that has changed is social housing has been brought in line with the private sector .

[ivan edake 13]

How is it even a tax? What a load of rubbish.

It is just a shortened nickname for "housing benefit reduction for someone having more bedrooms than their family requirements"which is quite a mouth full to say.Just like Brexit means Britains exit from the European market.Surely neither can be regarded as "a load of rubbish" as you say.

[apelike 10]

The new measures come into force in April 2018 and will only apply to new tenancies starting after April this year. So it will not affect those pensioners already in a tenancy, and probably not affect many at all as I doubt many new pensioners will be wanting a council house or flat.

 

Not much of a news story now is it?

[poppet2 13]

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist.

 

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

 

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

 

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.