 |
| Demonstrators at the weekend protesting against the "bedroom tax" Picture courtesy of ITV News |
The cut to the "spare room subsidy" means that tenants in social housing will have their Housing Benefit reduced by 14 per cent if they have one spare bedroom, and 25 per cent if they have two or more spare bedrooms. But this new information proves that there are not enough smaller properties for affected families to move to, even if they are willing to do so.For the 37 councils that provided full data, 96,041 families are expected to be affected by the "bedroom tax", but just 3,688 one- and two-bedroom properties are available – just 3.8 per cent of the homes required to rehouse the families who are hit.
Another 26 councils who responded to the FOI request said that they expected a total of 45,669 families to be affected, but were unable to say how many smaller properties were available in their area. Local authorities from all over the country, and in both urban and rural areas, are affected. For example:
- In Birmingham, 13,557 households are affected by cuts to the "spare room subsidy", but just 368 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied
- In South Lanarkshire, 5,461 households are affected, but just 245 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied
- In Doncaster, 3,853 households are affected, but just 92 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied
- In Cardiff, 3,951 households are affected, but just 115 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied
- In Wandsworth, 2,005 households are affected, but just 10 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied
- In Wiltshire, there are no unoccupied one-and two-bedroom properties at all, for 2,953 affected households
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Liam Byrne, said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax. They say it’s not a tax but 96 per cent of people hit by the tax have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape. This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector. It is the worst possible blend of cruelty and incompetence. The Government must think again and drop this tax now.”
Response to Labour's FOI requests by council - source the Labour party:
Response to Labour's FOI requests by council - source the Labour party:
Local Authority
|
Number of households affected by the Bedroom Tax
|
Number of unoccupied one- and two-bedroom council properties available
|
Argyll and Bute
|
826
|
unknown
|
Barnsley
|
3664
|
125
|
Bedford
|
1250
|
unknown
|
Birmingham
|
13557
|
368
|
Bromley
|
1950
|
unknown
|
Calderdale
|
1503
|
unknown
|
Cardiff
|
3951
|
115
|
Central Bedfordshire
|
1548
|
31
|
Cheltenham
|
769
|
33
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
|
300
|
unknown
|
Cornwall
|
3328
|
65
|
Denbighshire
|
365
|
9
|
Doncaster
|
3853
|
92
|
Dudley
|
4005
|
363
|
East Ayrshire
|
3100
|
189
|
Falkirk
|
3057
|
174
|
Fife
|
526
|
70
|
Flintshire
|
1152
|
unknown
|
Gloucestershire
|
540
|
3
|
Hartlepool
|
1666
|
unknown
|
Havering
|
630
|
75
|
Herefordshire
|
1278
|
unknown
|
Highland
|
2000
|
164
|
Hillingdon
|
1300
|
70
|
Hull*
|
4700
|
73
|
Kensington and Chelsea
|
1103
|
unknown
|
Kirklees
|
3200
|
257
|
Medway
|
1551
|
18
|
Milton Keynes
|
2104
|
101
|
Monmouthshire
|
636
|
unknown
|
Newham
|
2132
|
94
|
North Ayrshire
|
2645
|
30
|
North East Licolnshire
|
1800
|
55
|
Perth and Kinross
|
759
|
79
|
Plymouth
|
2357
|
unknown
|
Portsmouth
|
1550
|
60
|
Reading
|
1009
|
unknown
|
Refrewshire
|
2762
|
unknown
|
Rochdale
|
2477
|
unknown
|
Rochdale
|
2477
|
unknown
|
Salford
|
1714
|
81
|
Sandwell
|
5600
|
206
|
Scottish Border
|
1120
|
unknown
|
Sefton
|
3649
|
18
|
Shetland
|
175
|
15
|
South Lanarkshire
|
5461
|
245
|
South Tyneside
|
2961
|
124
|
Southampton
|
2064
|
110
|
Stirling
|
879
|
21
|
Stockton
|
2625
|
unknown
|
Stroud
|
454
|
18
|
Sunderland
|
5234
|
unknown
|
Telford and Wrekin
|
2611
|
unknown
|
Thurrock
|
1492
|
127
|
Torbay
|
685
|
unknown
|
Torfaen
|
1500
|
unknown
|
Walsall
|
4338
|
unknown
|
Wandsworth
|
2005
|
10
|
West Berks
|
772
|
unknown
|
West Lothian
|
2400
|
unknown
|
Westminster
|
1255
|
unknown
|
Wiltshire
|
2953
|
0
|
Windsor and Maidenhead
|
383
|
unknown
|
Total
|
141,710
|
3,688
|
Total (for those providing full data)
|
96,041
|
3,688
|
* Hull’s information provided by Hull City Council in a letter to Diana Johnson MP – not as a response to Labour’s FOI request
