Overcrowding |
Political posturing
has been rife by Labour both nationally and locally over the so-called “Bedroom
Tax”.
At last week’s
Council meeting I and my Conservative colleagues spoke up for the 1,264 families
on Reading ’s
Housing waiting list suffering from overcrowding. The under occupancy reform (“Bedroom
Tax” as detractors have nicknamed it) is designed to ensure that the social
housing stock is best used to relieve over-crowding and free up larger Council
houses for families who desperately need the accommodation.
However, at
Full Council Labour used their majority to vote through a motion to write to
government asking for the under occupancy reform to be suspended because they
said it isn’t fair on the 1,008 households in Reading ’s social housing with a spare bedroom.
There are
9,636 families and individuals on Reading ’s
Housing waiting list, many having been on it for a number of years. The overwhelming majority of residents I’ve
spoken to support making better use of the town’s limited supply of social
housing to help tackle the backlog.
Despite this Labour wants to stop the Government’s reform which will get
more families into housing right for their needs.
I met with Mrs
Chidsey who together with her husband decided to downsize last year from their
2 bed Council bungalow to a one bedroom maisonette. Mrs Chidsey told me she and her husband didn’t need all that space. They moved so a disabled person with a carer
or a family could benefit. Their utility
bills are cheaper now and they are happy they made the right decision. She told me their daughter lives next door to
a man who has a 3 bedroom council house all to himself. In her opinion this is a waste when there are
families out there squashed into tiny flats or temporary housing.
At the Council
meeting I proposed some exceptional cases which officers should prioritise for
using the town’s share of the £155 million Government pot for Discretionary
Housing Payments. These are households needing
a spare bedroom because of medical or disability needs, residents registered to
foster but temporarily without a foster child; residents with a grown up child
living with them who is away on active duty with the Armed Forces. Labour ignored our reasoned argument and our proposal
to work cross-party for the good of residents.
It was very disappointing. I, and
all the families suffering from overcrowding, would like to know how Reading ’s Labour
administration proposes to deal with the massive waiting list.
Cllr Tim
Harris, Conservative Group Leader said, “Labour’s
motion did nothing to help a single household on the Housing waiting list. Instead all they are doing is scaring
vulnerable residents. It is totally
unacceptable behaviour; especially given they don’t know all the facts nor have
any idea how to deal with the problem of people in over-crowded housing. It shows them caring more about political
point scoring than the needs of residents.”
It is worth highlighting that the under
occupancy reform only applies to working age residents. If a resident or household has a spare
bedroom under this reform they have the following choices:
- Make up the difference with the reduction in
their Housing Benefit so as to keep their spare room
- Apply to the council for financial help to make
up the difference if losing their spare room will cause them severe
hardship
- Ask the council for permission to rent out their
spare bedroom. NB Their Housing Benefit would only be adjusted after the
first £20 of rental income
- Ask RBC permission to buy their council
property. NB the government has put
up the subsidy to £75,000 for those eligible for the Right to Buy scheme
- Downsize to accommodation which meets their needs