Appealing the Bedroom Tax

306chris

Dunroamin wrote: »

A couple with two children and claiming JSA will receive around £260 per week on top of having their housing costs covered; I consider that a generous package.

The reduction of HB is 14% of the rent but it isn't 10% of a claimant's total income as was suggested. As an example, a family claiming £100 HB will lose £14 per week which, if you assume a low CTB of £40 pw, works out as a loss of around 3.5% of their total income.

I am using myself as an example here 2 adults, 2 children under 10.
If you take our whole income from benefits it works out at 379 a week (HB. CB, CTC, JSA, CTB soon CTS) Our income from benefits after 01/04 will be £359.55. If I am right that works out at just over a 5% reduction. Doesn’t sound a lot but I bet most on here would be up in arms at having their pay cut 5%.

A point I would like to make is this. When you are on benefits in SH then generally you don’t see the HB or CTB. If the HB is reduced then the money to fill the gap comes from the money you have to live on day to day. If you have a mortgage and the payments go up where does the money come from? It comes from the money that you have to live on. In this case that works out at 10%.

angrybuffalo

I am disappointed in this site. It is highly opinionated and judgemental, with a puerile level of discussion, scarce knowledge of benefits, short on understanding or compassion, heavy on ego and smug self-satisfied moralising. I don't think I can stick around people who talk about 'free money' and other daily mail cliches.

A pity because we can expect to see 600,000 children driven into poverty by the welfare 'reforms', and one way or another, like the ESA reforms, the bedroom tax will translate, at the extremities, into deaths.

Confuseddot

angrybuffalo wrote: »

I see. a £14 a week loss is a lot to lose from what remains a low income for a family of 4 - regardless what percentage of income it is. As a point of accuracy, it is nearer 5.5% of his disposable income than 3.5% - you have added in the housing benefit, which pays his landlord, and is not available income. remember, he has to use his available income to make up the shortfall in his rent - he can't use the rent money to do that!

Soon everyone will be getting all their benefit paid to them and then have to pay the landlord as in private sector so it may be worth getting used to thinking of it as an overall package.

306chris

Confuseddot wrote: »

Soon everyone will be getting all their benefit paid to them and then have to pay the landlord as in private sector so it may be worth getting used to thinking of it as an overall package.

Now that is a whole new can of worms to be opened. A good idea in principal but will be a shambles in the real world.

Back OT

ab.da54

mysterywoman10 wrote: »

What exactly are you trying to prove ab.da.54?

If someone can't get up and downstairs easily what use is a house to them? That is the "need"

It could be a ground floor flat /bungalow does that make you happy or a lift?

The point being there is little point in moving from one house to another if you can only sleep upstairs regardless of bedrooms or TV's!

And if in general, someone has difficulty getting upstairs once or twice a month, but are fine the rest of the time?

Surely, someone would find it quite difficult using a sofa bed when joints are so bad that stairs are difficult, so using a TV in the bedroom, where the bed is higher than the sofa bed, would make sense.

Is there little point though, when occupational therapy can provide a stair lift, if there is substantial need?

If a family are finding it difficult to pay the extra housing benefit, they could move to a two bed house if one was available, they could move to a flat, or a bungalow, depending on what is available, or they can stay where they are. They don't 'need' a bungalow specifically and they can also do other things if a move isn't on the cards.

mysterywoman10

angrybuffalo wrote: »

I am disappointed in this site. It is highly opinionated and judgemental, with a puerile level of discussion, scarce knowledge of benefits, short on understanding or compassion, heavy on ego and smug self-satisfied moralising. I don't think I can stick around people who talk about 'free money' and other daily mail cliches.

A pity because we can expect to see 600,000 children driven into poverty by the welfare 'reforms', and one way or another, like the ESA reforms, the bedroom tax will translate, at the extremities, into deaths.

I shall be all alone and you know so much about the law and Human Rights and can help people please stay

Confuseddot

angrybuffalo wrote: »

A pity because we can expect to see 600,000 children driven into poverty by the welfare 'reforms', and one way or another, like the ESA reforms, the bedroom tax will translate, at the extremities, into deaths.

This is a fact that has been quoted before and I was wondering as the reforms where put into private rental first and there doesn't seem to have been an increase in deaths just wondering where this comes from. I am sure I read somewhere but can't find the report at the moe that most people receiving housing benefit are in private rentals. I may have misssed the stats on this.

mysterywoman10

ab.da54 wrote: »

And if in general, someone has difficulty getting upstairs once or twice a month, but are fine the rest of the time?

Surely, someone would find it quite difficult using a sofa bed when joints are so bad that stairs are difficult, so using a TV in the bedroom, where the bed is higher than the sofa bed, would make sense.

Is there little point though, when occupational therapy can provide a stair lift, if there is substantial need?

If a family are finding it difficult to pay the extra housing benefit, they could move to a two bed house if one was available, they could move to a flat, or a bungalow, depending on what is available, or they can stay where they are. They don't 'need' a bungalow specifically and they can also do other things if a move isn't on the cards.

OT's in Social Services RARELY will provide a stair lift is all I have to say really!

ab.da54

306chris wrote: »

Now that is a whole new can of worms to be opened. A good idea in principal but will be a shambles in the real world.

Back OT

Agree here, 306chris.

I fear many will get themselves into difficulty but Confuseddot does make a valid point about people beginning to think about the whole package.

ab.da54

mysterywoman10 wrote: »

OT's in Social Services RARELY will provide a stair lift is all I have to say really!

Not from my knowledge of people who have had adaptions but I suppose that is also a postcode lottery on what people receive in terms of meeting their needs.