New bedroom tax

[Guest]

agreed id6052.......whether it be age or health, if a person cannot work, then they should not be penalised for it, something this govt doesn't agree with obviously hence pushing councils with the CTB by reducing their govt funding. Anything to get anyone to do their dirty work.....atos/wp/councils.......they have to go

[worried33]

and with benefits barely increasing we will be in the same position as we were when the tories did the poll tax....there must be a lot of well to do people in this country as no working class ever prosper under a tory govt so the votes came from somewhere.

 

yes more people than you think are fairly well off.

 

My younger sister constantly says she is broke, but her and her BF's income combined is 40k a year, no children, her rent slightly higher than mine. Some carefully worded conversations later and I know she now has a savings account, no idea whats in it of course but probably a fair bit. They both pretty tight with their cash unless they spending it on each other. She is probably the most generous with me over other family members tho maybe she feels a bit sorry for me and also we have always been close since childhood but defenitly not open with the pursestrings. I do respect she works for the money its hers to spend as she pleases, and also that its good to try and keep spare cash for a rainy day, thats fine. The only thing that really annoys me is pretending to be poor when not. I dont like that people do that. That seems to be the way people earning that kind of wage justify to themselves they need tax cuts and that things like social security need cuts. It seems to be common practice for people to divert a % of their wages each month to a savings account, and if whats left is been stretched they consider themselves poor or struggling to get by.

 

There is a lot in the press about middle class struggling but I think thats hyped up, like you said there must be a fair amount of people who will benefit from tax cuts and reduced public spending meaning there is still people with decent savings, good paid secure jobs, the sort of people the tories say are hard working families. Another indication is that when we had the NR bank run, there was a article stating if the government were to let banks go bust then 35k garunatuee on account deposits would cost 10s of billions. 10 billion divided by 35k makes at least 285714 account holders with 35k in the bank.

 

People also dont necessarily have to have cashed stashed away either, I expect they just need to be comfortable, by that I mean they know they wont need to rely on the state for whatever reason, it could be they have a relative who is a millionaire so they know regardless what happens they are secure. These sort of people probably vote tory as well.

[Guest]

I totally agree with you worried33, I have a family member who is retired and is very comfortable on pensions, and having his deceased wifes pension (proportion of) now paid to him for life, and its a good proportion, his mortgage is fully paid, and good luck to him of course, he has worked all his life etc etc, but I have to smile when he spends £100's on gadgets and buys clothes from designer shops, drives a car worth £30 thousand pounds, yet moans he is still paying £45 a month tax due to his deceased wife's pension taking him over the limit. He looks down on me, I know, as I don't work and has no interest in how it is to be ill, he is now working two days a week for a friend and earning £200 from two days work, and moaning that when the tax man catches up with him he will be taxed on that...disgraceful in his opinion, whilst all them "benefits folk" sit on their rear end all day having a wonderful time at his expense. really? ...

[Nystagmite]

I have no sympathy for people who earn huge amounts of money and moan about being poor.

[Guest]

me neither

[estellyn]

My brother in law is a classic example. Not just saying he was poor but refusing to buy a new cooker when it broke and not buying his kids new winter coats when they were too small. My husband's parents stepped in and provided both these things (they have a generous nature), and probably other stuff we don't know about - I think there was a holiday they paid for. When brother in law and wife split up, turned out he had over 100k in the bank, all the while claiming poverty and moaning about the cost of everything!

[Surfer01]

If you have some one working here and claiming child benefits for a children in another country, shouldn't they be liable for this bedroom tax also?

[Consumer dude]

well I will go down fighting

 

I will join you..

[id6052]

If you have some one working here and claiming child benefits for a children in another country, shouldn't they be liable for this bedroom tax also?

 

if the child lives in another country, yes

[Guest]

and many others I hope consumer dude...

[joeski]

the only scroungers are MP's with their expenses and other perks!

[phil76]

the only scroungers are MP's with their expenses and other perks!

 

Agreed!!!!

[bcham]

Agreed!!!!

obvious and dont forget the fat cat bankers.

[dasis16]

I spoke to Shelter about the issue the OP raised. I got some info that has certainly helped my specific situation, hopefully it will be helpful to others?

 

I have just been awarded DLA - Lower rate mobility and Middle rate care. This apparently entitles me to the severe disability premium, which the DWP sent me the form for automatically and I have just returned.

 

I'm also having to move right now, and so I called Shelter to find out what I am entitled to. They have told me that Regulation 2 of the Housing Benefit Regs 2006 entitles me to the One Bedroom Rate. As I am single and 24, I would normally only be entitled to the shared accommodation rate.

 

Not sure if I can post links, but will give it a go... http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f44.htm

 

The link above is apparently the HB regs that every borough has to abide by *shrug*

[dasis16]

The only other thing I could suggest is discretionary housing benefit? If your council acknowledge they have nowhere to move you to, they shouldn't be able to argue that you have to pay for the extra bedroom. The only potential issue there is you have to prove you can't afford to pay more, as they go through your income and outgoings.

 

A lot of people won't even know the discretionary pot exists, which I assume is what they are betting on.

[id6052]

I spoke to Shelter about the issue the OP raised. I got some info that has certainly helped my specific situation, hopefully it will be helpful to others?

 

I have just been awarded DLA - Lower rate mobility and Middle rate care. This apparently entitles me to the severe disability premium, which the DWP sent me the form for automatically and I have just returned.

 

I'm also having to move right now, and so I called Shelter to find out what I am entitled to. They have told me that Regulation 2 of the Housing Benefit Regs 2006 entitles me to the One Bedroom Rate. As I am single and 24, I would normally only be entitled to the shared accommodation rate.

 

Not sure if I can post links, but will give it a go... http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f44.htm

 

The link above is apparently the HB regs that every borough has to abide by *shrug*

 

 

your issue is different from the OP's as you are renting from private landlord, and OP's sister rents from a social landlord

 

the shared room rate issue you refer to only applies to private tenants

bedroom tax that OP refers to only applies to social tenant

 

though i agree that DHPs may be an option

[dasis16]

I realise my personal situation is different. I just wanted to provide a copy of the HB regs, and how I came to find out about them.

[citizenB]

The only other thing I could suggest is discretionary housing benefit? If your council acknowledge they have nowhere to move you to, they shouldn't be able to argue that you have to pay for the extra bedroom. The only potential issue there is you have to prove you can't afford to pay more, as they go through your income and outgoings.

 

A lot of people won't even know the discretionary pot exists, which I assume is what they are betting on.

 

If you could provide some more information on this then we can pop it in a separate thread and bring it CAG members' attention.

[dasis16]

Ok... what information did you want exactly?

[citizenB]

Ok... what information did you want exactly?

 

id has started a thread HERE

[time4change2]

hi all just an update we had an appointment today with housing benefit manager at my local council for my sister we was told face to face that despite the fact the she gets high rate DLA care and ESA support competent and severe disability premium she is NOT entitled to the 2 bedroom .

 

they said the only way she is entitled to full housing benefit for her 2 bedroom flat is she has to have care from someone who is not a family member and they get careers allowance for her or she gets full respite care

 

that's what we was told today face to face and from the first of April she has to pay £15.65p per week for the extra bedroom

 

however they did say she can apply for the Discretionary Housing Payments but based on her circumstances she would most likely not qualify for that either

[id6052]

hi all just an update we had an appointment today with housing benefit manager at my local council for my sister we was told face to face that despite the fact the she gets high rate DLA care and ESA support competent and severe disability premium she is NOT entitled to the 2 bedroom .

 

they said the only way she is entitled to full housing benefit for her 2 bedroom flat is she has to have care from someone who is not a family member and they get careers allowance for her or she gets full respite care

 

that's what we was told today face to face and from the first of April she has to pay £15.65p per week for the extra bedroom

 

however they did say she can apply for the Discretionary Housing Payments but based on her circumstances she would most likely not qualify for that either

 

couple of questions

 

1. does your sister live on her own?
   
2. who currently provides overnight care for her?
   
3. is she a social tenant?
   

[time4change2]

housing association tenant

 

lives alone

 

i stay 2 days a week dad stays the other 2

[citizenB]

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/tenancies/idss-think-tank-calls-for-changes-to-bedroom-tax/6526073.article#.UToUmx0jZL8.twitter

 

Seems as though the boss of the think tank has called for changes in the proposals made by IDS

 

 

The boss of the think tank set up by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan

Smith has called for changes to the government’s controversial ‘bedroom

tax’.

 

 

 

 

In a move that is likely to cause embarrassment to Mr Duncan Smith, the

managing director of the Centre for Social Justice, Christian Guy, has said that

he would like to see the government’s under-occupation penalty altered so that

it is fairer.

 

 

 

Lord Best told delegates: ‘Nobody has this available stock of smaller

properties to which people can readily move. This is the problem.

 

 

‘The CSJ, which is Iain Duncan Smith’s own think tank, they have campaigned

for a change to the bedroom tax so that where people have been made a reasonable

offer of somewhere to move to and they refused to do that - they then pay the

tax.

 

Where there is no offer to move and there is no choice, then they don’t have

to pay the tax.’

[RaeUK]

... was told face to face that despite the fact the she gets high rate DLA care and ESA support competent and severe disability premium she is NOT entitled to the 2 bedroom ... however they did say she can apply for the Discretionary Housing Payments but based on her circumstances she would most likely not qualify for that either

 

This is pretty much the same situation as me. The only plus point is that, as I've only just been put in the support group, the extra premium will offset the extra housing benefit and (probably) council tax charges.