Nottingham MP slams ministers in a debate on the 'bedroom tax'
A CITY MP said she wonders "how Government ministers sleep at night" as the implementation of the so-called Bedroom Tax gets closer.
Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood was speaking during a debate in Westminster on Monday night about the controversial changes to housing benefit.
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Debate: Lilian Greenwood made reference to the Post's front page.
Ms Greenwood also made reference to the Post's front page from Monday, where we revealed that more than 5,500 households in Nottingham will be affected by the changes – but just 35 one and two bedroom properties were available for rent.
From April 1, people's housing benefit will be cut by 14 per cent if properties have one spare room and 25 per cent if they have two spare rooms.
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She said: "For people in Nottingham, that means on average £11 a week if they have one room more than they are allowed, or £22 a week if they have two rooms.
"That may not sound like very much to a minister, but for someone on Jobseeker's Allowance of £71 a week it is the difference between eating or going hungry, turning on the heating or sitting in the cold, borrowing money to pay your rent or going into arrears.
"Even if they (available council and social housing) were all allocated to households that are currently under-occupying, that would help only 35 households – fewer than 1 per cent of those affected.
"That is before one considers the 2,269 families in Nottingham waiting for a two-bedroom property, or the 7,333 individuals or couples waiting for a one-bedroom property."
Chris Leslie, MP for Nottingham East, added: "In my constituency, the cases that really pull at the heart strings bring the issue most to life, particularly when they involve a disabled person in the household."
Mr Leslie made reference to a case where a young man with schizophrenia was trying to become more independent but needed a spare bedroom so his father could occasionally stay to reassure him if things got difficult.
He added: "It is the individual cases that illustrate just how heartless and callous the policy is."
Steve Webb, of the Department for Work and Pensions, said: "There is an issue about fairness between social and private tenants and between those who face overcrowding and are desperate for a home and those who have spare rooms, and about fairness for those on the waiting list."
On the web: join the debate at thisisnottingham.co.uk
9 Comments
by CALTHROSS
Thursday, March 21 2013, 7:57AM
“Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood wonders "how Government ministers sleep at night" as the implementation of the so-called bedroom tax gets closer.
Should imagine like most ministers who have rammed their policies down our throats over the years sleep very well as they are immune to the policies they enforce on the general public.
How many ministers lost sleep over the expenses claims they were making?
Whilst in opposition Labour want to come across as caring and concerned,how that will quickly evaporate if or when they become the next Government.
These "paragons of virtue".”
by mags1862
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 11:17PM
“Entitled statist.”
by mags1862
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 11:15PM
“Socialists eventually run out of other people's money, and how outraged they are when they do, after all, they are entitled to it!”
by Vox_Populii
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 7:05PM
“For someone who abstained on the Tory bill to prevent reimbursements to those robbed by the Government's workfare scheme yesterday, Lillian Greenwood has got some gall trying to present herself as some kind of holy warrior for those affected by the butchering of the welfare state. But then that seems par for the course for the well-heeled Tory-lite Labour middle class who've essentially stripped the party of its soul.
Alan Simpson, where are you now.”
by sicofit
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 1:44PM
“harrystotle1 you keep dragging the same stories up time and time again, you really are a buffoon.
Please make comments on the story in question.
This is an ill thought out policy. Simple maths says 35 divided by 5500 just does work. Nothing other than a tax on the less well off.”
by Neo_MadBadger
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 9:59AM
“Harrystotle, do try to stick to the story at hand, old bean. You might even want to make a comment on the bedroom tax.”
by harrystotle1
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 9:31AM
“I don't remember Lilian Greenwood doing anything at all to get the City Council to make amends when it misallocated 3,500 council houses to its supporters.
As far as I'm aware, nothing was done to revisit these allocations to ensure that the misallocated houses were given to people that REALLY needed them, rather than city council cronies.”
by jxxgreen
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 9:31AM
“the relocation of public servants is achieved by a substantial bribe being given to them. this is not a new idea, different parties have tried over 50 years to move council tenants to smaller premises so larger families can be allocated to the bigger houses. so why isn't the same rewards not being offered to the ones they wish to move? there are older tenants who can hardly cope with the gardens, fuel cost and the maintenance required to the larger houses. those concerned could possibly find this attractive instead of the financial threat now being offered.”
by harrystotle1
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 9:30AM
“I don't remember Lilian Greenwood doing anything at all to get the City Council to make amends when it misallocated 3,500 council houses to its supporters.
As far as I'm aware, nothing was done to revisit these allocations to ensure that the misallocated houses were given to people that REALLY needed them, rather than city council cronies.”