Bedroom Tax



SCRAP the
BEDROOM
TAX



PUBLIC MEETING
IN THE
MEADOWS



Wednesday, 10 April @ 7:00 P.M.

Queens Walk Community Centre 

Queens Walk, The Meadows

A chance to learn more about this cruel tax, to give your views, and to plan a fight-back campaign in The Meadows.

ALL WELCOME!


What is the Bedroom TAX?

The bedroom tax was imposed 1 April by the national government. The target is 660,000 tenants who live in social housing (council/ housing associations) and who GOVERNMENT DECIDES have a so-called ‘SPARE ROOM’. The estimate for Nottingham alone is 5,500 households.

If you are of working age (16 to 61*), your housing benefit will be slashed by 14% if you have one so-called ’spare’ room. Those with two or more supposed ‘extra’ rooms will be cut 25%. (*This age is linked to your pension credit age and so will rise in coming years.)

1. Children under 16 of the same gender will be required to share a bedroom.
2. Those under 10 must share regardless of gender.
3. If you and your partner must sleep in different rooms for medical reasons, that’s just tough luck.
4. If you are separated and want a bedroom when your child comes to visit, again tough luck. Ditto for many other legitimate reasons.

The bedroom tax is a part of a wider attack on the benefits system, including Universal Credit, Workfare, reduction of Disability Living Allowance and many others. This is a double whammy as council tax rates are also being hiked for many of the same people. Government ministers call it ‘welfare reform’; we call it more welfare cruelty.


WHAT'S WRONG WITH 
THIS CRUEL ‘BEDROOM TAX’?
  • In the midst of a serious recession and skyrocketing unemployment, this is another assault on the poor and vulnerable, adding to their financial burden and anxiety.
  • This cruel tax is unworkable. Local housing associations in Nottingham say there are only 35 empty one- & two-bed properties for those now in larger properties who might want to ‘downsize’ to escape this tax. How can 5,500 households move into 35 available units? IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!
  • Many social housing units are already too crowded. The UK builds the smallest houses in Europe. Further over-crowding is bad for the physical and emotional health of tenants and their children; over-crowding is proven to be detrimental to a child’s educational development.
  • To meet their needs, disabled people sometimes live in specially adapted flats. ‘Downsizing’ into private accommodations will mean more costs. A new level-access shower can cost £3,000. And private landlords may refuse permission to make the needed changes.
  • This new tax ‘forgets’ that our carers or children at college who come to stay with us need a spare room. Social housing tenants also want guests and relatives to be able visit them once in a while.
  • As a supposed cost saving measure, the fact there is not enough social housing for people to ‘downsize’ down to means that people may have to move into private rented houses. This will actually INCREASE the total housing benefit bill. Private landlords usually charge higher rent for smaller houses.
  • If savings are needed, then why not stop letting rich people and the corporations off huge sums of money through tax avoidance?
  • The real solution would be to build more suitable housing units in the UK, not to evict those of us who already have a place to live.
  • If you don’t like it, the government’s reply is: ‘MOVE OUT’, ’LOOSE YOUR HOME/ BE EVICTED’ or ‘BECOME POORER’. Some choice! 
In short, another example of this government’s ruling class cruelty, inefficiency … and stupidity!


HOW YOU CAN OPPOSE THE BEDROOM TAX

People across Notts are already building resistance in our communities; our numbers are growing every day. More rallies are being discussed after our very successful first rally on 16 March.

We are actively campaigning against this unfair tax and we urge you to join us and do the same. However, we can only win if people like you are prepared to stand shoulder- to-shoulder with your neighbours and fight back in your community.

So get in touch and find out how to:
  • Protest against the bedroom tax;
  • Lobby the government to scrap the bedroom tax.
  • Call on Nottingham City Council to pledge no evictions from its 28,000 social housing units. 
And if all else fails, resist all evictions house-by-house, street-by-street.


MORE INFO AND HOW TO CONTACT

THE NOTTINGHAM CAMPAIGN
Notts Bedroom Tax Campaign Website

Notts Bedroom Tax on Facebook

e-mail: bedtaxnotts@hotmail.com

Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign

No evictions in Nottingham!
… and don’t forget the 10 April open meeting in The Meadows. 






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