Fears over ‘spare bedroom’ tax in East Lancashire (From Chorley Citizen)
When news happens, text CIT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Fears over ‘spare bedroom’ tax in East Lancashire
5:00pm Friday 11th January 2013 in East Lancashire
By Jessica Cree, Education reporter
A LACK of smaller social houses in the Ribble Valley could cause problems for tenants, a housing association has warned.
Bosses at Ribble Valley Homes say there are not enough one and two-bedroomed properties for the number of people who may be forced to move because of the new bedroom tax.
The group’s housing manager Stephen Fell said the issue would come when lots of people needed to move at the same time.
He said: “Not having enough smaller properties is an issue that we have. We also don’t have a high turnover, which means any tenant needing to move would have a long wait.
“It is one of the biggest problems everywhere, but specifically in the Ribble Valley where the majority of houses have three bedrooms.
“Those properties were adequate initially, but when people move out, they have extra bedrooms.”
Across Lancashire, analysis of Department of Work and Pensions data by the National Housing Federation estimates that 14,631 households will have their housing benefit reduced by an estimated £7.5m a year because of bedroom tax.
The government is to introduce the bedroom tax as part of its controversial changes to the benefits system.
From next April, workingage people will have their housing benefit cut if the government considers them to have a ‘spare’ bedroom in their housing association, or council home.They are set to lose 14per cent of the benefit for one ‘spare’ bedroom, and 25per cent for two, or more, ‘spare’ bedrooms.
The government’s criteria allows one bedroom for each person or couple in a household, but children under 16 of the same gender are expected to share, and children under 10 are expected to share, regardless of gender.
For more advice and information, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Comments(16)
2 for 5p
says...
7:45pm Fri 11 Jan 13
Wishingwell wrote:spot on
Why should the State provide subsidised capital so that some people can enjoy larger houses than the minimum needed. If you want a bigger home, buy your own!
I am not surprised our economy is on its arse, Saving doesn't pay, Home ownership doesn't pay and neither does honesty.
mavrick
says...
8:29pm Fri 11 Jan 13
2 for 5p wrote:Perhaps if you read the article it might sink in there is a dire shortage ofsmaller housing. What is so wrong with people having a spare bedroom? do your spiteful selfish comments apply to people who have been made redundant? you seem to think that people in council or social housing are all skivers. Why don't you vent your spleen at the people who caused this mess and ask why should the tax payer keep subsidising the rich? I could go on but I doubt if you have the capability of understanding the real issue, If read the contradiction in your statement you may see what I mean.
Wishingwell wrote:spot on
Why should the State provide subsidised capital so that some people can enjoy larger houses than the minimum needed. If you want a bigger home, buy your own!
I am not surprised our economy is on its arse, Saving doesn't pay, Home ownership doesn't pay and neither does honesty.
Mothernature
says...
9:03pm Fri 11 Jan 13
2 for 5p
says...
12:11am Sat 12 Jan 13
If you don't want to pay the tax let your too out to a lodger. There simples..
Common_Sense1
says...
2:57am Sat 12 Jan 13
2 for 5p
says...
7:05am Sat 12 Jan 13
Common_Sense1 wrote:Ever heard of fraud, that is what that would be.
Define bedroom. I have a one bedroom house that just happens to have 4 studies! It's rediciluos trying to put a tax on bedrooms. People will just claim they live in a one or two bedroom house that has 3 dining rooms and 2 living rooms :-)
eastlancslad
says...
10:09am Sat 12 Jan 13
Does anyone know why lots of people would 'need' to move all at the same time?
devila
says...
10:34am Sat 12 Jan 13
Info-warrior
says...
9:11pm Sat 12 Jan 13
Mothernature wrote:These are the sheeple who belittle the unfortunate in our crumbling society and think it gets them in the 10% by doing so...their pathetic and when their pensions have been raped by the banksters and all the NI payments evaporate in the summer stock market crash they won't be belittling anyone then. Oh I didn't mention the next crash.? HARRY DENT: The US Has Gone Over The 'Demographic Cliff' And Markets Will Crash This Summer
What is it with you people turning on those that are less fortunate than you. They didn't cause the economic crisis. Bankers, governments and greedy employers not paying decent wages did. The majority of people claiming Housing Benefit are low paid workers in unsecure jobs who pay their share of tax & NI too. As for this idea that the properties are subsidised. By whom are they subsided. The taxpayers, government or banks. Many of these homes were built after WWII. Have they not been paid for several times over by previous/present tenants? Maybe you ought to compare housing rental figures between private rented & social rented properties. In 2010/11 there were 3.8 million households in the social rented sector and 3.6 million in the private rented sector. Generally, private rents in this neck of the woods tend to be dearer by about £30 for a 2 bedroomed terraced property, so in effect the private sector is gaining a lot more from HB than the social rented sector. Biggest mistake ever was to allow Buy to Let. I don't even know why I've bothered explaining anything to you folks who look down on those with very little, you obviously believe all the drivel spun out by the media and nothing will change your minds (until you find yourself in the same position)
Harry Dent is not one to shy away from predictions. Just take a quick look at some of the man's bibliography: he wrote The Great Boom Ahead in 1993 and followed it up with The Great Jobs Ahead in 1995. In 2009, he authored The Great Depression Ahead, and in 2011, The Great Crash Ahead.
Now, Dent, the economic forecaster perhaps best known for the use of demographics in his analysis, is predicting a big market crash this summer.
Can anyone remember the boom and bust years..? Hands up from those who benefitted from it..nobody...I don't know anyone up north who did or even remembers them a few not even knowing what they were.
So thats four years of boom and bust that none of us up north can remember never mind benefitted from for a guarenteed 12yrs of austerity no growth in the economy and a global depression and now a bedroom tax.
In my northern stupidity I can't work it out how thats a fair deal from those who caused the mess.
Lets just hope that the ones in the dark find the light soon and we can become as one mass and run the banksters and their helpers out of town and cast them to the history books forever. Makes sense to get rid of them the 10% who want to get rid of the 90%.
If the agenda 21 programme goes to plan times running out for us the 90%. Oh I didn't mention Agenda 21..? Agenda 21 is explained very well by Infowars. Including implications it will have on humanity. Opinions within the video come in some cases from those that were in on the negotiations. Truly an interesting watch find it on line free its called:
Agenda 21 For Dummies: New World Order Depopulation Exposed
Infowars.com
Authoritarianism rules the day
But not for those who don't obey..
Stay Free. Speak Free.and most of all Ride Free.
hunter3062
says...
5:08am Sun 13 Jan 13
mavrick wrote:so all the 2 bed terraced in the east lancs area are empty and boarded up because???????
2 for 5p wrote:Perhaps if you read the article it might sink in there is a dire shortage ofsmaller housing. What is so wrong with people having a spare bedroom? do your spiteful selfish comments apply to people who have been made redundant? you seem to think that people in council or social housing are all skivers. Why don't you vent your spleen at the people who caused this mess and ask why should the tax payer keep subsidising the rich? I could go on but I doubt if you have the capability of understanding the real issue, If read the contradiction in your statement you may see what I mean.
Wishingwell wrote:spot on
Why should the State provide subsidised capital so that some people can enjoy larger houses than the minimum needed. If you want a bigger home, buy your own!
I am not surprised our economy is on its arse, Saving doesn't pay, Home ownership doesn't pay and neither does honesty.
Noiticer
says...
10:19am Sun 13 Jan 13
Wishingwell
says...
4:49pm Sun 13 Jan 13
Noiticer wrote:I agree, all these subsidies are just social and economic engineering used to control the ordinary citizen. They should all be scrapped so that we can enjoy a free market. I have no problem with help being given to the vulnerable from taxation that is a separate issue.
And what about state subsidies to farmers and other landowners in big houses and mansions who have large estates, state subsidies to industry, subsidies to landowners with wind turbines, tax breaks for millionaires etc. etc. The poor and disadvantage are an easy target by a government of out of touch, uncaring and ignorant of the lives of ordinary people whom they would rather keep well away from.
Noiticer
says...
5:09pm Sun 13 Jan 13
Rumpole
says...
5:10pm Sun 13 Jan 13
lmhjones
says...
5:22pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Wishingwell says...
5:29pm Fri 11 Jan 13
I am not surprised our economy is on its arse, Saving doesn't pay, Home ownership doesn't pay and neither does honesty.