Welfare Reform

Depth_Charge

Hi

Latest on bedroom tax - foster carers & armed forces exempted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21760365

The bedroom tax is already looking shaky before it even starts with some predicting sheer chaos ahead.

Depth_Charge

Hi

Interesting 'side effect' here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21814039

Also the bedroom tax is starting to cause a ripple or two and could end up being an all round costly affair.

More possession hearing and added costs involved predicted

Will they pull the bedroom tax altogether?

I doubt it....not yet anyway.

Just my view

Growurown

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I think foster children should be counted when assessing how many bedrooms a family needs. All I said is that a foster parent can afford to pay the extra out of the fostering allowance.

Well it seems this issue has been resolved. At last someone in government has seen some sense.

Depth_Charge wrote: »

Hi

Another link I know, but this BBC one could be significant as it could be a 'tip of the iceberg' sign of what is to come.

Welfare reform trial sees rent arrears rise......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21725686

Rent arrrears can lead to court possession action, with added costs and so on.

*Also note the line where it mentions the possibility of pushing Landlords into financial difficulty.

Tricky times ahead, its got to be best to read up and prepare as these changes are imminent now and they will affect budgeting, finances & debt arrangements etc, it's a certainty.

My opinions

I'm sure we will see a rise in homelessness as a result of this unless the government changes their ideas on this one too.

Depth_Charge

Hi

Out of all this welfare reform it is my opinion that the so called bedroom tax is arguably the most ill thought out of the lot.

Things are really tough at the moment and set to get much worse for a lot of people with the less well off getting hit particulary hard.

Having the security of a home that is safe is the best base to progress from, it underpins everything.

The worry of the home not being secure can undermine and unstable everything including family life in my opinion.

Make no mistake this bedroom tax is not going to be an easy ride and I personally think with the expense & mess is likely to cause I cannot see it achieving its purpose of saving money or changing the pattern of social housing.

Like I have said before Im just coming from the side of the effect on peoples, families, kids, debt, finances and mess not who should be getting what benefits etc.

The effect on the advice agencies (especially the face to face ones who have to deal with these kind of issues on a regular basis) is already being felt and could put some of them in meltdown mode as far as the knock on effect is concerned - the Local Authorities might be looking for the oxygen tanks too.

Anyway, heres what Gord has to say about it -

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/tenancies/former-prime-minister-attacks-bedroom-tax/6526205.article

Me? well, I happen to think he's right.

Just my take once again

Growurown

I read Gordan's take on this and think he's right too. People who live in social housing in my area have very little choice about where and what type of property they live in. There aren't enough single bed properties on the housing register for all the single people to move into. I know this for a fact as I work with the housing associations as part of my job and this is what they have told me. It's not an option for many people in social housing to rent privately either as the rent is usually higher than housing benefit will pay anyway.

I understand that many tax payers out there will be saying 'why should I pay for someone to live in a bigger house than they need?' Yes people not on benefits have to make choices about where they live etc. but they have options to take. Is it fair to reduce housing benefit to people, most of whom are already poor, when they have no choice about where they go and no properties to move into?

Depth_Charge

Growurown wrote: »

I read Gordan's take on this and think he's right too. People who live in social housing in my area have very little choice about where and what type of property they live in. There aren't enough single bed properties on the housing register for all the single people to move into. I know this for a fact as I work with the housing associations as part of my job and this is what they have told me. It's not an option for many people in social housing to rent privately either as the rent is usually higher than housing benefit will pay anyway.

I understand that many tax payers out there will be saying 'why should I pay for someone to live in a bigger house than they need?' Yes people not on benefits have to make choices about where they live etc. but they have options to take. Is it fair to reduce housing benefit to people, most of whom are already poor, when they have no choice about where they go and no properties to move into?

Hi

Yes, I agree with what you are saying.

What looks OK on paper sometimes is not the real world at all.

The more I think about and see of the bedroom tax and the council tax changes for that matter (and lets not forget these are just two of the welfare reform changes) the more I believe that they are ill thought out ideas that could well backfire.

These are priority expenditures that will end up turning into priority debts for a fair number of people.

Its the pincer movement of the cuts and the rising cost of living etc that will do the damage and the signs are a little frightening to be honest

We are likely to then see people turning to payday lenders to try to deal with the situation and so on.

Vulnerable people are likely to get caught up in all this and the safety net of advice and support is fraying through cuts in funding etc.

The fee charging and perhaps some of the telephone debt advice agencies are not really interested in people who have little or no disposable income despite their box ticking propaganda. They just refer to the CAB or another face to face agency, maybe its not the 'type of debt advice' they wish to get too involved with so to speak.

Many people could well struggle to get the advice and support they need.

The effect will be felt in the communities, children, families, GP sugeries, food banks and the rest.

The threat, uncertainty and spectre of losing your home can be horrible especially where children are concerned. You see it is their home, friends, schools, pets, it is stability that is what a secure home represents.

Forums can definitely play their part here.

The thing to remember also is that nobody can confidently predict what is round the corner and some of these changes will also affect people who are currently in employment / working its not an exclusive club.

I do a fair bit of court work with repossessions both rented and mortgaged and some of the social landlords I deal with are fearing a meltdown situation.

It just wont be cost effective never mind the misery, worry and knock on effect and thats what I mean when I say "looking OK on paper"

Tricky times ahead here I am afraid

My honest opinions.

antonic

Also bear in mind from next year HMRC will close ALL of its 281 Tax Enquiry Offices : http://news.sky.com/story/1064608/hmrc-closing-enquiry-centres-in-phone-shake-up

This means if you have a tax query (which affects a lot of low paid people), instead of being able to see someone face to face (and therefore free), you will be expected to ring (at your cost) OR go to a voluntary organisation and get help from them.

The things the ConDems will do to save money !!.

Growurown

Depth_Charge wrote: »

The thing to remember also is that nobody can confidently predict what is round the corner and some of these changes will also affect people who are currently in employment / working its not an exclusive club.

Tricky times ahead here I am afraid

Yes indeed it isn't only benefit claimants who will be affected by welfare reform, many low earners will also be worse off.

antonic wrote: »

Also bear in mind from next year HMRC will close ALL of its 281 Tax Enquiry Offices

The things the ConDems will do to save money !!.

I can't see the sense in closing the tax offices. There are already many phone inquiries and letters unanswered so how are people supposed to get the correct tax advice?

Depth_Charge

Growurown wrote: »

Yes indeed it isn't only benefit claimants who will be affected by welfare reform, many low earners will also be worse off.



I can't see the sense in closing the tax offices. There are already many phone inquiries and letters unanswered so how are people supposed to get the correct tax advice?

Hi

The bills and benefit change envelopes are well into the dropping through the letter box stage now with enquires coming thick and fast and the arrears game hasnt even started yet.

We are thinking of purchasing a few sticks of chalk so we can draw more advisers to help out.

No good will come of this Im afraid

The tax offices closures hardly helps either

My take

Depth_Charge

Hi

Latest on the 'bedroom tax'

Housing Benefit Judicial Review to go ahead

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21961777

Could be interesting or maybe not