IT was the anniversary of the “bedroom tax” on April 1. One year on, the policy has clearly failed.
A BBC inquiry suggests the Government’s controversial changes to housing benefit have failed to achieve one of the main aims.
The Government said the tax would encourage people to downsize and reduce housing benefit costs. Ministers claimed cutting the spare room subsidy, described by critics as the bedroom tax, would free up under-occupied homes and reduce overcrowding.
However, a year on, figures suggest that just 6pc of tenants have moved, with 28pc of falling into rent arrears. One in four households affected have fallen into arrears for the first time.
Many now fear eviction as the bedroom tax bites. The British National Party has always opposed this unfair tax. We pointed out that people can’t move into smaller properties because they are in short supply.
Simple facts like these seem lost on our ConDem government! We say it is time to scrap the tax.
Nick Griffin North West MEP British National Party PO Box 107 Wigton Cumbria
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