Just over a week since George Osborne declared as “unbelievable” the Welsh government’s opposition to many of his welfare reforms, the BBC has today unearthed evidence demonstrating the extent of the impact of the bedroom tax.
Just over a week since George Osborne declared as “unbelievable” the Welsh government’s opposition to many of his welfare reforms, the BBC has today unearthed evidence demonstrating the extent of the impact of the bedroom tax.
With ministers in Westminster now pledged to take away from housing benefit claimants 14 per cent of their benefits where they have a spare room in a social house and 25 per cent where they have two spare rooms, BBC Wales is reporting that its own inquiries have shown there are “70 times more tenants than smaller properties available” for those affected to move to.
Incompatible
The report, based on a survey of Welsh local authorities and compiled by BBC Wales economics correspondent Sarah Dickins, shows that across the country more than 28,000 people are in social housing that is considered under-occupied as a result of having spare rooms.
However, there are just under 400 one-bedroom homes to move to. In four council areas – Ceredigion, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen – there are, the report notes, “no one-bedroom houses available with local housing associations”.
Coupled with the 70,000 families or individuals currently on the social housing waiting list in Wales, the devastation being imposed on Wales by the bedroom tax is clear for all to see.
Whilst so much of what Westminster is trying to do is, in Cameron’s words, about injecting fairness into the system, the impact of the changes in Wales is now also increasingly being seen through the lenses of it breaking entire communities up.
Human cost
In its report, the BBC highlights the case of 43 year old Dennis Tranter who lives in a family home on the Cefn Golau estate near Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, where he lived with his mother and father and six brothers and sisters. His mother, however, passed away last year and he has two spare rooms which means he is expected to move house or face a 25 per cent cut to his housing benefit.
“It would be devastating [to move] because I’ve been here all my life basically I’ve built a home here and I don’t want to give it up. I know everyone and they’ve grown to know me.The neighbours are tidy and I get on with everyone up here.”
Picking up on the devastation being inflicted on Welsh Communities, John Puzey, director of Shelter Cymru, has said:
“We are talking about people here who have lived in these communities for a long time and I know housing managers are really worried that long-term residents and stable neighbourhoods will be forced to move on.
“That could change the nature quite drastically of those kind of neighbourhoods so I think there’s real concern about what this will mean in terms of neighbourhoods and community cohesion.”
Concurring with the sentiments, a spokesperson for the Welsh government has outlined the concerns of housing minister, Carl Sargeant, over the “devastating impact” it will have “on many poorer households across Wales.” The spokesperson continued:
“The Welsh government is committed to doing all it can to ensure that the change does the least possible damage to our communities. However, we are under no illusion. We know that people will suffer hardship and this will put even more pressure on public services that are already straining to cope due to the current financial climate.”
An assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions suggests that Wales will be hit proportionately the hardest by the bedroom tax with 46 per cent of social sector tenants likely to be affected by the tax.
49 Responses to “The bedroom tax is already ruining Welsh communities”
Alec
Right, you’re in it only for spite. You know naff all about Tranter’s situation, or about the great many more people who will be adversely affected by this capricious legislation.
And you know even less about those people in “cramped conditions” you’re emoting about. Well, you do know – as you have been repeatedly told – that there is nothing near a direct relationship between them and the statistically small number enjoying the shameless luxury of an extra room.
In fact, not only will it nothing effect your so-called wish, it it more than likely will cost money because of the stated desire of the authorities for claimants to move into private accommodation which has no such restriction and which would cost more.
Not only are you an exceptionally nasty creature without an ounce of empathy, you also are thick.
~alec
Fran Yeldham
There are only 10 families in the UK with 10 or more children,2 of those families are on benefits.
benny
being disabled is a choice if the people on the benefit I meet in my local are anything to go by!
I have met scores of ‘disabled’ people who are no such thing. I know 1 very disabled person who works and has never claimed out of work benefits. he regards the ‘bad back brigade’ as the lowest of the low.
i knew one guy who couldnt work because he had aspergers type 2 which meant he couldnt psychologically work for a boss. didn’t stop him moonlighting at the local pub though
Alec
Which part of what I’ve said can you not parse, you dim little man?
You don’t know that his mother died over a year ago. All the piece says she died last year, which could be as little as four months. You don’t know what his mother was doing with both rooms.
It could be that she required one for medical equipment… well, she was ill enough to die.
It could be that another family member just moved out. YOU DON’T KNOW.
You don’t know if Tranter just has lost his job, an misfortune which would have been compounded by his mother dying. And all compassion-free sniggerers like you can do is laugh.
You keep repeating the canard that there’s a direct relationship between the waiting lists and the relatively small number with extra rooms. Not only do large families – say, the size of Tranter’s six siblings – not really exist any more, but why are they on benefits? Why are the parents not out working?
You don’t have a leg to stand-on with this appeal.
You keep repeating the begged question about dipping hands into pockets. Not only is this principle covered by general taxation, why are you not offering direct help to those hard-pressed families? Why d’you expect others to?
It was a typo. I’m not a stenographer, so will make errors. Not only do I simply not believe you’d be amenable to someone with one extra room, it wasn’t an explicitly phrased comment about his mother dying over a year ago.
Oh, you clearly haven’t read the articles:
Back of the net.
~alec
Alec
Source? Not disputing you like.
~alec