Cancer patient being forced out of home by 'unfair' bedroom tax
A MAN with incurable cancer fears he will have to leave his home of 23 years because he can't afford the Government's "bedroom tax".
Grandfather George Keen is one of thousands who will be hit by plans to reduce housing benefit for people with spare bedrooms when it comes into effect in April.
The 59-year-old will end up forfeiting £100 a month, even though his wife Pauline sleeps in one of the rooms considered spare at their three-bedroomed rented home in Northside Walk, Arnold.
"With having the cancer I have enough on my plate without having to find money for this bedroom tax," said Mr Keen.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year which can't be treated due to a string of other serious illnesses. He also attends Hayward House hospice, at the City Hospital.
"I have had a triple heart bypass, four heart attacks, diabetes, hypertension, depression, a degenerative spine, sleep apnoea and was then diagnosed with bowel cancer last March," he said.
"My wife has to sleep in a separate bedroom because I am on an oxygen machine overnight that makes a noise while it pumps, so it keeps her awake.
"But they don't accept that and say we have two extra bedrooms," said Mr Keen, who rents the property from a housing association.
"That's my disability living allowance gone – it will be a big chunk out of it."
He fears the changes will force him out of the home where his two children were raised.
"There is no way I can afford the extra money. I have asked for an exchange for a two-bedroomed property, but they are few and far between."
The benefit changes are adding to anxiety of cancer patients – already struggling on low incomes and basic benefits – according to Chris Bissett, the benefits adviser at Maggie's cancer support centre, based at the City Hospital. Mr Bissett, who has spoken to several patients in the same position, said: "The proposal has the double worry for many who are worried about making the choice between finding the extra amount to make up the benefit shortfall or face the prospect of moving to more affordable accommodation with all the accompanying inconvenience, worry and stress this will inevitably entail.
"Ill and disabled people have added concerns, such as possibly having to register with new doctors and also moving away from established networks of support such as family and friends."
The Government is imposing the tax to encourage tenants to downsize and cut housing waiting lists.
15 Comments
View all
by kissit77
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 10:36PM
“Encouraging people to downsize?FORCING IS MORE NEAR THE TRUTH ,Well good luck with the repairs and maintenance of the houses families and people who took pride in there homes and worked hard and spent money making it nice AND CARING .All that will dissapear they will not treat them good as isnt a home its a stopgap ,just for there kids growing up and then when the children are old enough and leave ,Then get a home ''THAT HAS NO SPARE BEDROOMS'',And make that nice so be ready for the bills to go through the roof,Ive lived in homeless a few times over the years and more people than not live like pigs BECAUSE IT IS NOT THERES AND THIS IS GOING TO ESCALATE INTO TRIPLE THAT YOU THINK THE SAVINGS ARE GOING TO AMOUNT TO .”
by choirbod
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 8:29AM
“There is a huge shortage of smaller places for people affected by the bedroom tax to move to. Those smaller places that are available are in the private sector and are MORE expensive so will cost "the taxpayer" more. Many homes have been adapted, many people NEED the extra bedroom for a multitude of reasons. Even foster carers will have to pay this as foster children do not count in this awful scheme.
If any of the bile-filled people posting here had done any reading about the bedroom tax, they would be well aware that it is just another way of hammering the poor and disabled. What's depressing is that the divide and rule tactics of the super-rich are working. You're blaming each other instead of the mufti-billionairres, the ones who are REALLY ripping us off.
"I warn you not to be ordinary. I warn you not to be young. I warn you not to fall ill. I warn you not to get old." This couldn't have been more prescient.”
by inoffthered
Sunday, February 24 2013, 11:42PM
“I thought that local authorities had been given a fund and discretion to use it to ensure that problems like this were avoided (perhaps Co Co wants to use this to continue to pay the salary of full time union employees on the payroll at Loxley Mansions).
Whenever there is change there will be a number of cases where the consequences of the change appear to be unfair, hence the flexibility given to local authorities to ensure it does not happen. It is a measure of the nasty nature of the city council that they would seek to make political capital from this man's suffering instead of doing something to help as they could.
Looking at this policy in broad terms, it is all very well getting upset about people who may lose some benefits (it is not a tax) if they choose to remain in accommodation with unoccupied bedrooms, but I daresay that there are families in cramped accommodation who desperately need bigger housing but cannot get it because of multi bedroom property occupied by singletons.”
by brorabrora
Sunday, February 24 2013, 5:12PM
“This'll get all those families with a spare bedroom in their council house, breeding even more.”
by mags1862
Sunday, February 24 2013, 11:01AM
“I'm surprised the Labour controlled city council have not recruited him for a poster campaign.”
by irvine
Saturday, February 23 2013, 7:19PM
“Wonderwoman
You're not really living up to your username - what you have posted is rubbish.”
by irvine
Saturday, February 23 2013, 7:17PM
“Which is of course never going to happen Trev8 - I wonder what motivated you to make such a comment?”
by soraya
Saturday, February 23 2013, 7:05PM
“Stop wasting £30,000,000 a year on junkies' methadone in Notts every year.
We are lucky in the UK that most people can live in houses, even jobless and useless scum. In the rest of Europe it is normal to live in apartment blocks and quite posh to have a house and garden, yet in the UK you get a posh house and garden just for exisiting or being a 'vulnerable' immigrant.
Most people are also angry about that single mother gypsie with 11 offspring by different men who is getting a £400,000 house built for free by the council and gets £60,000 a year in benefits.”
by grammamamma
Saturday, February 23 2013, 6:43PM
“I think that Mr Keen should be exempt from the tax. I do not think he is at a stage in his life where he should be forced to move, and anxiety about finances is something he can do without right now. All rules should have some flexibility for dealing with special circumstances.”
by wonderwoman
Saturday, February 23 2013, 12:22PM
“the welfare reforms are necessary certain people can not be ring fenced i also think the pensioners should be included in the bedroom tax alot of them are in houses living in 2 or 3 bedroom houses when alot of sheltered housing accomdation is available for them also when benefits are all put together housing benefit council tax benefit disabilty benefits income support alot of benefit claimants are on as much as people going out to work for i do sympathise with the gentlemen this is the situation were in”