HearFromYourMP

Comments

• Posted by Lewis Walch, 22:55, Mon 22 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  Taxing people for having a spare room is extraordinarily ineffective as a means of creating more housing space and is little more than window dressing. Affordable houses for first time buyers, access to mortgages without a huge deposit requirement and more affordable rented accommodation would seem genuine sensible solutions. Those are the areas that need meaningful productive action.

• Posted by Fayaz Issak, 06:24, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  It doesn't work for carers who need to keep their medical equipment in a spare room.

  Why can't we just tax the rich people more? Or the large companies? Banks?

• Posted by Steven Openshaw, 06:31, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  Yasmin Qureshia, good statement, what is your proposal. In principle I agree that the tax is unreasonable, it is also unreasonable for people in social housing that have more rooms than required i.e. a couple in a family home after the children have grown up and left home, to expect too stay in that property, they should expect to be asked to move to a smaller property so a family in overcrowded accommodation can have the space required, having said that you should not be expected to move miles away from your current home or to an area that has a bad reputation

• Posted by Wayne Longworth, 07:23, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  I don't know much about this topic but I would imagine that it only applies to social housing. If that is the case then people should be grateful for a home. Perhaps the best way to deal with a shortage of housing is to stop this madness of too much migration to this country, not least because our infrastructure and finances cannot cope. My father lived in a 3 bedroomed council house for 12 years alone, which was probably not the best use of the property, despite the fact the need for housing was less severe. We should not build more homes.

• Posted by Mary Miles, 09:11, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  We need to build more houses. The bedroom tax will not solve the housing crisis we have. Stop selling council houses this is only adding to the problems.

• Posted by Kenn D Crossley, 11:03, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  Surely moving people away from their support network must lead to higher unemployment - certainly as far as "proper", i.e. full time, jobs are concerned. Does that make sense? I guess it would if your business (and/or your friends businesses) relied on lots of staff being on zero hour contracts with all the lack of benefits and protection that gives. Well done Tories! Company profits and Directors bonuses should see a nice increase from this.

• Posted by Susan McGonnell, 11:34, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  The last Labour Government brought in laws to stop people smoking in public. The same principle needs to be applied to housing . . . bring in legislation to limit the cost that landlords can charge for renting out houses. ALSO

  When I got my mortgage years ago with Nationwide I had to sign a document that prevented me from gaining financially if they became a public company. Again, the same principle should apply . . . . revisit the legislation that new social housing builds stipulate that tenants will not be able to buy them.

• Posted by Martina Ward, 18:13, Tue 23 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  The disabled are badly affected by this tax and many cash strapped councils are not giving the concessions. I have a friend in a specially adapted 2 bed bungalow. There are no single bed places available in his area but he has to pay this tax. There are many who need separate overnight care at intervals, and need the second bedroom for them. For caring do these people have to rest on a sofa? There are husband and wife cases (and I could soon be one of them) where due to equipment needed a separate bedroom is vital as there is not enough space in the standard bedroom for them and the equipment together. Add this to the overall cost of administering this tax, and I see very little saving if any to government and local councils, and a loss of independence to the disabled. This can only downgrade the support system they have as they choose which to give up/reduce to cover this tax. I have a husband who's health is seriously threatened; which would mean we need social housing. I have no idea how we would cope if this happens. I have had to live solely on benefits before and it is not easy if you are responsible enough to try to eat properly to maintain the best health you can. There are a small minority who abuse the system, and for this the majority must pay dearly, with no cost saving to local or national government. In social housing you cannot sublet a room, even to a carer, even if you could it is counted as income and your benefits drop accordingly, and often over what you would get from it (as in private lets with permission). This Let a room can only truly be applied to people with business mortgages as there are many conditions against sublet in case of repossession. Please get the disabled excluded from this tax and send home immigrants who have committed crimes here and live on benefits upon there release as they can't get work here with a criminal record

• Posted by Constance Mary Bellamy, 13:24, Wed 24 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  My daughter has M/S and is fully wheelchair bound the room she needs is a lot more than the average person, so needs the second bedroom for her husband to sleep in, but because they are married they are charged for the extra bedroom.

• Posted by Scott Lacey, 11:05, Fri 26 July 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #

  My family consists of 2x adults, 3x children (1 6yr old and twins at 4yrs old)- We own our two bedroomed house, but two rooms isn't enough! One of the twins has a life limiting condition and as such is 100% dependant on us - we cannot move house because of the care aspect so our option is to extend the current house, either extra build or loft conversion or both.... I wonder if the council will be so keen to help us? We have at least one room less than we need. The extra room tax is ridiculous - many people have worked all their life to have a comfortable home, they have paid silly interest rates and been at the mercy of the shambles banking system for years... Why does the government keep on squeezing the working class?

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