Bedroom tax to be extended to pensioners.

[apelike]

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]

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.

[tzijlstra]

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?

 

First - the gap between becoming a pensioner and reaching a stage that you can no longer manage in your own home is increasing year on year. People still regard pension as a sort of near-death experience whilst in actual fact most pensioners enjoy a work-free, state funded live for as long as they were going to school. Combined many pensioners will get close to not working more years than they worked.

 

Second - those flats are a clear example of the broken housing provision in this country, youngsters can't get onto the ladder, older people aren't releasing properties and there is an ever increasing rise in single occupancy but equally a shortage in provision (suitable provision!) for that group.

 

Look at what is being built: City centre apartments and family-homes. There is demand for both, but there is very likely to be an even bigger demand for single-story accessible dwellings (bungalows) and that provision is apparently stalling like mad because the return per square meter is not sufficient. Yet you can't ask elderly to live in St. Pauls lofts... Highly unsuitable for them.

[El Cid]

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.

 

As I understand it, they are not heavily subsidised, but cheaper because they are built and operated by non-profit making organisations.

If they had been subsidised, dont you think that would have changed after 6 years of Tory Government?

Edited October 1, 2016 by El Cid

[spilldig]

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.

 

As Ron says. You can't tax something that's not earned. What it is is a reduction in benefit.

[Penistone999]

As Ron says. You can't tax something that's not earned. What it is is a reduction in benefit.

 

Correct .....

[ECCOnoob]

First - the gap between becoming a pensioner and reaching a stage that you can no longer manage in your own home is increasing year on year. People still regard pension as a sort of near-death experience whilst in actual fact most pensioners enjoy a work-free, state funded live for as long as they were going to school. Combined many pensioners will get close to not working more years than they worked.

 

Second - those flats are a clear example of the broken housing provision in this country, youngsters can't get onto the ladder, older people aren't releasing properties and there is an ever increasing rise in single occupancy but equally a shortage in provision (suitable provision!) for that group.

 

Look at what is being built: City centre apartments and family-homes. There is demand for both, but there is very likely to be an even bigger demand for single-story accessible dwellings (bungalows) and that provision is apparently stalling like mad because the return per square meter is not sufficient. Yet you can't ask elderly to live in St. Pauls lofts... Highly unsuitable for them.

 

Dont lifts exist?

 

Where do all the elderly live in cities such as London, New York, Tokyo, Singapore.

 

By their very nature MOST flats are a single storey dwelling. Just because you have to take a lift up to the floor is no more difficult for an elderly person than having to cross a street to get to their dwelling.

[the_bloke]

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 .

 

Exactly this. Most of the people moaning about it don't even understand what the HLA is let alone how it will be applied to council housing from April 2018.

[Berberis]

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

 

Whether or not you agree with it, its not. Its just a word used by the hard of learning to try and encourage an emotive response without looking into the actual facts.

[El Cid]

Exactly this. Most of the people moaning about it don't even understand what the HLA is let alone how it will be applied to council housing from April 2018.

 

Why wasnt it just a case of people getting housing benefit for a 3 bedroomed house, only if they qualify on the grounds of the number of people living at that house?