Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden and prospective parliamentary candidate for Hendon, has obtained figures which reveal how devastating the Bedroom Tax is proving for Barnet families.

Mr Dismore said:

“In just the 6 months since the Bedroom Tax started, Barnet Homes has seen rent arrears caused by the tax mount  up to  £68,000 already.

Of the 650 residents caught by the tax, Barnet Homes have been able to relocate to smaller properties a mere 27 tenants.

37% of those who are caught by the tax have been able to pay only part of the difference and are running up arrears; and 17% have not been able to meet the extra cost at all.  This hardly surprising when the additional cost of one room is £793 a year and two rooms, a whopping £1415.

The bedroom tax is a pernicious and vindictive measure that blames people and is causing a huge amount of distress. It blames, then punishes, people who very often have had little control or choice over the house in which they live. It punishes people whose crime is not to earn enough money to afford their rent. It punishes people who have lived in their council house for most of their lives but have temporarily lost their job and are now deemed as having an extra bedroom. It punishes the victims for a failure of housing supply, and punishes those who would like to move to a smaller property but cannot because none is available.

The  Government’s own impact statement showed that an estimated one in three of those affected would go into arrears. The Government knew that arrears were the likely consequence of this policy, and that is what we have seen, only even worse than they predicted.

The bedroom tax should be abolished and if Labour wins the next election, it will be abolished. “