Bedroom Tax - A Solution ? : Wed May 29, 2013 6:55 pm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/29/leeds-council-bedroom-tax-solution
There's more than one way to skin a cat and just because its a "box room" doesn't mean to say its a "bedroom" like HM Coalition Government would prefer to believe - Leeds City Council is reclassifying (downwards) the number of bedrooms in 800 council houses where the so-called bedroom is of a size that is smaller than the generally accepted size of 70sqft - generally accepted insofar as for generations anything smaller than that has been named a "box room" in tenancy agreements but for the new Housing Benefit rules this is denied, any additional room COULD be classified as a spare bedroom presumably the only criteria being that you can fit a single bed in it. Leeds City Council will now reclassify small rooms, ground floor rooms used as bedrooms and rooms which act as access into other rooms all as "non-specific" rooms - seems sensible especially as the cost of collecting the arrears of tenants who have had housing benefits reduced exceeds the cost of the savings of those reductions. Fairly typically though you only have to point a reporters notebook underneath a Tory politicians nose for a snide comment to be issued forth, step forward Councillor Barry Anderson ""It does not solve the core of the problem. There needs to more advice for people on housing benefits … hardworking, good tenants may lose out." Barry wouldn't be suggesting that those on housing benefit are NOT hardworking good tenants would he, surely no-one would make such a wild assumption ? |
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/29/leeds-council-bedroom-tax-solution
There's more than one way to skin a cat and just because its a "box room" doesn't mean to say its a "bedroom" like HM Coalition Government would prefer to believe - Leeds City Council is reclassifying (downwards) the number of bedrooms in 800 council houses where the so-called bedroom is of a size that is smaller than the generally accepted size of 70sqft - generally accepted insofar as for generations anything smaller than that has been named a "box room" in tenancy agreements but for the new Housing Benefit rules this is denied, any additional room COULD be classified as a spare bedroom presumably the only criteria being that you can fit a single bed in it. Leeds City Council will now reclassify small rooms, ground floor rooms used as bedrooms and rooms which act as access into other rooms all as "non-specific" rooms - seems sensible especially as the cost of collecting the arrears of tenants who have had housing benefits reduced exceeds the cost of the savings of those reductions. Fairly typically though you only have to point a reporters notebook underneath a Tory politicians nose for a snide comment to be issued forth, step forward Councillor Barry Anderson ""It does not solve the core of the problem. There needs to more advice for people on housing benefits … hardworking, good tenants may lose out." Barry wouldn't be suggesting that those on housing benefit are NOT hardworking good tenants would he, surely no-one would make such a wild assumption ? |
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