Bedroom tax to remain in Dumfries and Galloway
The call to stand up against it was rejected.
Calls for Dumfries and Galloway Council to make a stand against the unpopular bedroom tax were rejected last week.
Councillor Ben Dashper, who represents the Stranraer and the Rhins ward, argued that householders are being penalised more than ever now with the bedroom tax and cost of living crisis combined.
He tabled at motion at last week’s full council meeting suggesting that council leader Gail Macgregor writes a letter to the UK Government demanding that the bedroom tax is scrapped in these tough economic times for people on benefits.
It has been 12 years since the UK Government introduced financial penalties for people on benefits if they lived in houses larger than they need.
Housing benefit payments are reduced by 14 per cent of the ‘eligible rent’ for one spare bedroom, while the reduction is 25 per cent for two or more spare bedrooms.
Councillor Dashper said: “The bedroom tax is harmful for families but also bad for the economy.
“The bedroom tax was sold as a way to tackle the hoarding of larger properties, but in reality it affects many more people than just those with extra space they don’t need.
“So, who does it really affect? Parents with shared custody. Even if a child regularly stays overnight, the primary carer can be penalised because the child’s room is counted as a spare.
“This is terrible for keeping families together.
“Families with university students – if a student is away at university, their room can be taxed, making it harder for them to return home.
“It also discourages young people from pursuing further education as their family could be penalised.”
He added that households with disabled people also lose out as they often need an additional room for a carer.
However, the Labour Group opposed this motion and tabled their own amendment commending the work of the council’s housing and benefits team for continually supporting those affected by the bedroom tax with the discretionary housing payment.
Labour Councillor Linda Dorward, who represents the Lochar ward, also argued that the Labour UK Government has increased the Scottish Government budget by £5.2 billion over the next two years.
She said: “The SNP Group could suggest using some of that (money).
“Dumfries and Galloway Council was the first Scottish council to mitigate against the bedroom tax in 2013 under the leadership of then Ronnie Nicholson.”
Councillor Dorward added: “Whilst we would all like to see a measure like the abolition of the bedroom tax, but as a council we won’t have any credibility if all we do is come up with proposals with a lack of financial detail that fails to acknowledge existing mitigation measures – and risks being symbolic rather than practical.”
The amendment was passed by 16 votes to 12.