Bedroom tax in Mendip

by adamboyden on 6 December, 2013

I recently asked senior officers at Mendip District Council “if the Council is reviewing the impact of the bedroom tax (officially known as the spare room subsidy reduction), on people in Mendip, e.g. how many people affected, how many disabled people are affected, are people able to downsize or are they stuck with a loss of benefit, are housing associations being strict or allowing redesignations of small rooms as non-bedrooms (such as to store disability equipment like hoists), as other councils have agreed to do. The issue is being debated nationally. So please can you let me know what the council is doing on this?”

The official response was as follows:

“The government is currently carrying out a review of the impact of the welfare reforms including the spare room subsidy.  The DWP (Dept for Work and Pensions) are the government department with responsibility for welfare and disability legislation and are reviewing the impact of the various reforms using data extracts and returns provided through our software systems, consultation with stakeholders and feedback from the Tribunal service (statutory body responsible for decisions regarding disability, room size etc).  The tribunal service and its decisions feed into future changes/amendments in Housing Benefit legislation.

Unfortunately at a local level our systems do not collect the level of data analysis you have requested. We are however able to provide the latest overall numbers affected in Mendip:

– Total number of housing benefit claimants in the social housing sector = 4,135

– Number having their rent restricted by 25% for HB purposes (i.e. over-accommodated by 2+ bedrooms) = 108

– Number having their rent restricted by 14% for HB purposes (i.e. over-accommodated by 1 bedroom) = 364

– This represents an average cut in HB of £14.86 per week.

The Benefits service have worked with our Housing Options Team and other stakeholders to ensure all residents affected by the changes have received advance notification of the changes and published / promoted the attached options. This was on top of earlier publicity – including notifying all potential claimants well in advance of these changes, plus of course the option to claim Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP).

In respect of DHP’s – Mendip wide, we have processed 155 over the period April – October 2013 inclusive, of which 44 were due to over-accommodation in the social housing sector.

Feedback from our stakeholders and in particular our major housing providers has been positive and, by all working together – raising awareness, exchanging information, ensuring DHP procedures are clear, providing multiple access channels for people affected etc., all aimed at ensuring we provide help where needed in this significant change.

Please let me know if you require any further information.”

So, 472 people are having their rent restricted due to the spare room subsidy reduction in Mendip, some 11% of the 4,172 Housing Benefit claimants in the social housing sector. Of the 472 people affected, 44 (some 9%) have had DHPs between April-October this year.

Anyone with concerns about how changes to the housing benefit system will affect them should contact Mendip District Council’s

Housing Options Team on 0300 303 8588, and see here http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/1898/General-Information-and-Advice or

Benefits Service on 0845 300 3352 and see here http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/1728/Size-Restrictions—Social-Rented-Sector for further information.

You can always contact me if there is any problem.

I am concerned about the impact of the Government’s policy, particularly the impact on disabled people and their carers (see http://www.carersuk.org/get-involved/bedroom-tax-campaign) which sees only 1 in 10 carers protected. Lib Dem party members are also very concerned and at the party’s autumn 2013 conference in Glasgow, members voted overwhelmingly to pass a motion saying the impact of the tax must be urgently reviewed, and guidelines redrafted to make sure the disabled, elderly and children are not so badly affected. See http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/16/lib-dem-activists-condemn-bedroom-tax

Adam Boyden

 

 

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