Campaign Group Summons City Council to appear at Court.

Nottingham City Council had been asked to meet with the Scrap the Bedroom Tax campaign group back in December last year and despite repeated attempts at a dialogue and giving Nottingham City Council ample opportunity, no meeting has taken place. 

The campaign group were informed that Cllr Dave Liversidge was willing to meet campaign members and discuss concerns the group have yet this has not happened. The group made a final request to both Cllr Dave Liversidge and Cllr Graham Chapman for a meeting but this request like others met with no response from either Councillor.

The summons today (22/5/14) is to draw attention to the Councils continued court actions against Bedroom Tax victims and the failure to follow procedures to prevent evictions or further court action.

Despite claimants with arrears that are reducing and payments being made, the council are still pressing on with court action and it is because of this and other failings that the council have not taken care to avoid, the campaign group members are serving a summons to meet to discuss these matters in a more public forum.

After serving the summons at 1pm, the Scrap the Bedroom Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign group will be moving to the courts for its

1.30pm campaign outside the County Court on Canal Street. (at the back of the bus station)

Local campaign group calls meeting with Nottingham City Council over bedroom tax pre-court protocol failures.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefits campaign have requested a meeting with Nottingham City Council as a matter of urgency amid concerns that the Council are failing to follow the pre-court protocol for tenants hit with the bedroom tax.

The campaign group are concerned that the council is not engaging with tenants who are in bedroom tax arrears, not giving tenants the information they need, and not trying to make arrangements with them before taking them to court. 

In the most recent example, a tenant who is less than four weeks in arrears and whose arrears have been decreasing since January, has received a court summons for possession of their home from the council.

This is the second time the campaign group has requested in writing, a meeting with Councillors, as well as previously making a verbal request.

We will keep you up to date with the outcome of this meeting request.

Don’t vote for Nottingham City Council House two tier rent increase!

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefits is urging council house tenants not to vote for a divisive rent increase which could hit those who are already struggling to pay their rent including those who cannot pay bedroom tax, harder than others. Nottingham City Council has given tenants only 7 days notice to vote for just two options: 

• Option 1 as: “4.68% [rent increase] for responsible tenants, otherwise 7.5% [rent increase]”. 
•  Option 2: 5.48% increase for all. 

Our group say tenants should refuse to choose Option 1 (two tier rent increase) and should return the questionnaire refusing both options if they think the across the board rent increase (option 2) is too high – Council house rents have increased by over a third in the last five years. We say that the two tier option adds an unnecessary layer of complexity to rent charges, that information about the two tier option is unclear and information on the leaflet about who is not eligible for the lower rent increase is not complete. 

To complete the questionnaire go to: http://www.nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk/documents/paying_your_rent/Rent_Increase_information_Feb%202014.pdf 


 To contact Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefit Nottingham contact: defendcounciltaxbenefits

Response to Social Landlords by Campaign Group

Nottingham Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign response to Evictions Prevention Protocol

Nottingham City Council, Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham Community Housing Association and ASRA Housing Group have signed up to an “Eviction Prevention Protocol” to prevent evictions caused by the Bedroom Tax.

Nottingham Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign opposes this protocol because:

• It will not prevent evictions.
• It does not offer anything to tenants which they could not access anyway.
• It sets up tenants to be blamed when evictions occur.
• It abandons tenants who don’t “engage” when they may be the most vulnerable.
• It uses vague terms such as “engaging” with housing providers and “realistic and affordable.” payment plans, without explaining who defines these terms and what they mean (ie. what is expected from tenants).
• It puts too much emphasis on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs), which are temporary, limited, and discretionary.
• It presents the issue of financial hardship caused by the Bedroom Tax as an issue of budgeting, rather than the real issue, which is that people can only avoid rent arrears by using money which is meant for food, fuel, bills, clothes.  This implies that if eviction occurs it is the tenant’s fault.

The protocol says housing providers will request a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) for every tenant suffering financial hardship who “engages” with tenancy sustainment teams. 

• The term “engaging” is not explained. What exactly is expected of tenants, and who decides whether tenants are “engaging” or not? Many tenants affected by the Bedroom Tax are some of the most vulnerable people in society, who may lack the support to be able to deal with the additional stress caused by the Bedroom Tax.
• Tenants are already free to request DHPs themselves or through advice agencies and there is no guarantee that requesting a DHP will mean a tenant will receive one. Some tenants have received a DHP in repect of bedroom tax arrears while others have been refused. Furthermore, DHPs are temporary so tenants have to apply repeatedly with all the uncertainty that entails.

The agreement states that Credit Union accounts which help tenants to prioritise rent and other bills are also being offered to tenants facing court action. 

• All tenants are already free to open Credit Union accounts – at a cost of 50p per month – so the agreement is not offering anything new.
• The protocol states that affected tenants will be expected to set up and keep to an affordable payment plan.
• A tenant in Bedroom Tax arrears faces a weekly demand for rent which they cannot afford. The protocol does not explain how such a tenant would suddenly be able to afford a payment plan to pay off their bedroom tax debt.
• The protocol does not acknowledge that arrears would continue to accumulate since the bedroom tax is ongoing and that this would lead to eviction. 

The protocol does not acknowledge the extreme emotional and monetary hardship being experienced by those households who are not yet in arrears. Households can only pay bedroom tax by cutting down on food, fuel, transport, clothes etc.  We know of households who are experiencing extreme hardship and poverty – the protocol does not address this.

By emphasising budgeting, priorities and advice the protocol implies that bedroom tax arrears is caused by tenants’ inability to budget and lack of information. This is clearly not the case. Arrears are caused by tenants being asked to pay towards rent (and council tax) from living expenses meant for food, fuel, clothes, transport etc.  Budgeting solutions are unsustainable and set up tenants to fail and be blamed, putting huge pressure on households and leading to evictions. 

The social health and monetary costs of the Bedroom Tax, which are hitting vulnerable households, communities and the social housing sector, are unacceptable and unsustainable. A recent UN report says that the Bedroom Tax may be a violation of human rights, and the Labour Party have now announced that they will abolish the Bedroom Tax. In view of this, the only effective way of protecting households from eviction is for the council to use its position to implement a no evictions policy and to encourage other social housing providers to do the same.

Nottingham Defend Council Tax Benefit Campaign calls on Nottingham City Council and all Nottingham Social Housing Providers to:

• Publicly state that they will not evict anyone because of Bedroom Tax arrears.
• Recall all notices of seeking possession and eviction notices relating to bedroom tax arrears.
• Acknowledge that Bedroom Tax arrears are not caused by tenants inability to budget.
• Use all of its DHP budget (including reserves it is permitted to use) to reduce Bedroom Tax arrears (at August 2013 only one fifth of the budget had been used).

With other social landlords and campaigners persistently explain and publicise the social and monetary costs and unsustainability of the Bedroom Tax to Central Government.

Demand that Central Government take responsibility for this policy and the potential damage to the social housing sector, by demanding it makes up the shortfall in rental income to social housing providers caused by bedroom tax arrears. Demand that Central Government abolish the bedroom tax.