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Perhaps you'll learn more about me as you read my blog. For anyone who translates my blog using the translator facility, don't forget if you wish to read the comments in your own language to click on the title of the post down the left hand side otherwise they will remain in english. Also I assume that the translation is accurate but I don't know, so please allow for errors.

Saturday, March 09, 2013

How They Tell You Bad News...

I know the Bedroom Tax is coming but instead of sending a letter and saying from the 1st April you will be paying(insert the amount)

The Housing Association decided and I think it is quite the worst idea they could come up with, they sent what is basically a greetings card and when opened a little house pops up like a little childrens pop up story book and on the side of the house in the smallest text possible it says you will pay upto and has an amount as an example. So it is still guess work.

Yet in another letter that arrived on the same day from the same HA I was also told that my rent and water rates have increased. Thanks a lot.

I think the greetings card idea is in bad taste and quite thoughtless.

Now I hear that the Bishops are saying that the cuts are going too far and children will be affected but why stop there...people who are working, ill, disabled, single, elderly and many more are affected.

This is quite an interesting article I have found.

Where austerity really hits home

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Gildersleeve

Yes, I know what you mean about things going up. Everything seems to be going up at present but wages arent. My pay has been frozen now for the third year on the trot.

I agree with the idea that people should not occupy social housing where there are spare bedrooms when families with small kids are living in bed and breakfasts (this is a terrible situation for any child).

However, until social housing for single people is available (with one bedroom) what do they expect people to do? There is nowhere for the singles to move to.

Its all very well saying rent out bedrooms but who wants strangers living in their house?

You are in a no win situation and unfortunately the lives of single economically vulnerable people in this society will not improve in my view in the foreseeable future.

You have my sympathies.
Heather

9 March 2013 at 20:32  
Blogger The Great Gildersleeve said...

I've said elsewhere(I forget where so am repeating myself I know)My town and the immediate area are all virtually 2/3 bedroom houses.

Even if private.

Recently with great fanfares the HA built 8 new properties and they were all 2/3 bedroom properties.

If they had build nice reasonably sized one bedroom properties, they could have freed up larger houses in their housing stock.

If a single person moves to a two bedroom property they are still under occupying.

And on average though its not a small amount across the year that saves around £10 a week but of course when they increase the rent, so the bedroom tax increases. So within a few years any benefit is wiped out again.

We have just had a report from Government sources telling us that the size of families are going down and many more of us are are single and living on our own.

So many more will be caught up in this mess.

Opposition parties like Labour say they are against it but none of them say, if/when we come to power we will reverse it. And I doubt that they will.

UKIP are said to be against it but I have also seen that they are for many of the welfare changes so who knows.

And as you say Heather who is being paid a Living Wage or getting a wage rise. It will just be wiped out if you do.

9 March 2013 at 21:29  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No you are right, Labour or any other party is very unlikely to reverse it.

Housing costs across the board are increasing, for everyone.

Unfortunately the poor are demonised by the present government and the media are encouraged to leap on the bandwagon and egg on the working public to see benefit claimants as scroungers.

Yes, undoubtedly there are some scroungers but these are in the minority and in some groups eg. Pensioners, some people who are entitled to claim benefits, dont.

Im just so glad that I was able to buy my own house at a time when it was not unaffordable and I was earning a good wage. Kids these days dont have that luxury and for older people if they are not on the housing ladder now its unlikely they ever will be.
Heather

9 March 2013 at 22:38  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Out of interest and of course you don't have to divulge any personal details but I phoned a life long mate of mine the other day who lives in the N.W of England.
He owns his own house and has done since the early sixties. His income is soley derived from a state pension that he and his wife get. He has never owned or run a car and does not have central heating in his semi.
He is in his late seventies (older than myself) and during the last phone call, I brought up the subject of Council Tax and he told me that he does not pay any CT at all and hasn't done so for about 15 years or so and he says this is down to the fact that he hasn't got more than £600 of savings.
He and his wife, however do travel quite a lot, by coach and have various weekends and weeks away each year which means he must have some spare cash.
However he does state that he fills the necessary exemption forms in each year, as required, which therefore satisfies the appropriate authorities.
I had assumed that everyone living in a property paid some CT.

Do you have any comments on this?

Nick

13 March 2013 at 17:09  
Blogger The Great Gildersleeve said...

Nick,
The way I understand it everyone contributes to council tax unless income/savings are really low.

But now that the rules have changed and each council has its own way of collecting money and who they come after, some councils are collecting a percentage from those who are already struggling(probably most of the country)so with the introduction of the bedroom tax too...

My council has left things this year but we have no idea what will happen next year.

The latest soundbite on the BT suggests that they have caved in and foster parents, households that have people serving the country and some disabled are no longer affected but scratch the surface and it is not quite as it seems and was reported. If I can find a link, I'll post it.

I should add I have heard the above people who think they've been excluded, it is temporary and a reliable source says they could be affected again within 5-6 weeks.

But if they have succeeded that still means the low paid and disabled/ill/carers still pay which if you are against the tax will hurt many and they are as deserving.

And the Govenment keep using areas like London to justify the changes.

13 March 2013 at 19:35  

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