Where's the saving to the tax payer?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...tax?CMP=twt_gu

Read that on Twitter. I can't see any savings being made if that is the cost of moving to smaller accommodation because of the bedroom tax.

(Note to Mods - please move if I have posted this in the wrong board. Many thanks

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

Hi Rosemary I may have got this wrong but I didn't think this was about saving money.
I thought it was about tenants moving to smaller accommodation in order to free up larger accommodation which is not being fully used because some of the rooms are empty.

I understand there are huge waiting list of people with families seeking rented accommodation and houses which are now half empty because families have grown up and left. I don't think large local authority (now mostly housing association owned) houses were really intended as being a property for life more accommodation for a stage in life.

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

Hmmm I think they were meant originally as a home for life, it's only now we have problems we are looking at it differently. People used to inherit tenancies if they lived in the house and the householder died they got to stay on, now they are out on their ear despite it being their family home and living in it all their lives.

I know when my family were first given keys to our then new home, it was stressed by the council this was our home not just a house and we should cherish it as such. No one said by the way we want it back when your kids leave home or don't think of this as a home it's just a house for this stage in your life !

I am not against moving people to smaller properties but where are all these mystical one bedroom properties ? We would happily move to a smaller home but there is no where smaller for us to go.

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

Maybe so Julie
I know years ago when a council housing estate was built in my village it seemed to be well planned with a number of bungalows being built at the same time.
Then unless people had children still living at home to whom they passed on their tenancy they normally 'progressed' into the bungalows.

ETA I know some people did very well out of Thatchers great council house sell off but it had the effect of depleting the local authority owned housing stock and I think we are now seeing the consequences of not enough affordable housing available to rent.

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

In theory, the idea of those who live in houses funded by the taxpayer downsizing into properties no larger than they need, is a good one. But there will be so many cases of hardship as a result nevermind that there aren't enough smaller properties available that it is not practical to do this en masse. Why not let the local authorities sort it out on a case by case basis ?

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

But it seems that it is going to cost the tax payer a lot more money if people who are moving because of the bedroom tax, so it isn't very cost effective!

That's what I thought originally, Meg, but according to what the man in the article is saying, it is costing the tax payer a lot more money moving him to smaller accommodation than letting him stay in his present family home!

I know the idea is for people to be put into smaller accommodation if they have extra rooms in order to give them to folk who have larger families. Where I live, the one bedroomed houses are being given to homeless, druggies, alchies, and the like - then they don't live in the houses and just use it as a dropping centre for their DSS money!! The trouble is that councils have not built enough smaller accommodation houses. Things are going to be made worse as well up here when the system changes and, instead of the DSS paying rent and rates (council tax) direct to councils and housing associations and private let owners, the money is going to be given direct to the tenant! The last time that happened - loads of tenants were being threatened with evictions for unpaid rent and threatened with court action by councs for unpaid council tax because some DSS folk used the money for other things! It is going to happen again!

Councils and housing associations will have to start building more one apartment housing, if they want folk to move into smaller accommodation!

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

Why not put four single bereaved pensioners into a four bedroomed house, and free off four one bedroomed bungalows for Four single moms and babies?.

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

I agree with Alan, Personally I don't think any publicly funded subsidised accommodation should ever be viewed as permanent but should be entirely dependant on the renter's circumstances.


If they can afford to move into private rental they should, if they don't need such large accommodation then they should move. In the latter case I would add the proviso "in the same area".

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

I'm hoping that's a joke

Re: Where's the saving to the tax payer?

Not a joke, it's a jibe, at folks who think other folks are just a statistic, to be moved about to suit the balance sheet, this is a natural conclusion to what they propose. Imo.