Benefit and Budget Cuts kick in, any views?

midnight is a bit early to put off lights. Do they not use solar street lights would be cheaper for them in the long run and no need to switch off.

What an obvious sounding answer!

I guess it's the initial capital outlay of retrofitting everything, but in the long run you're right, it must work out cheaper, and keep crime down!

Maybe each street will adopt some lamposts Bring and buy sale, save up for your solar lampost!

I feel a rant coming on ....

The bedroom tax ... it'll drive thousands into debt, nervous breakdowns and homelessness. They could be employed, unemployed, disabled, lone parents and couples where one partner is under pensioner age, one over pensioner age - doesn't matter, they'll all suffer.

Unless there are mass suicides, it'll drive up the costs of social security (it costs a hell of a lot more to house a family that can't now afford its low-cost social housing into B & B accommodation or privately rented accommodation). It'll result in massive increases in legal costs for local authorities, housing associations and landlords - maybe the judges will be able to stop the "can't pays" from being evicted.

It's difficult to think of a policy that's more cruel and more pointless .

this bedroom tax is that for every household whether you own your own home or not or just for those renting?

problem with so many councils, govs and businesses they think short term rather than long term

Not sure about the detail (the government isn't either! ... I think it only affects those who rent (likely to be around half the population soon) and also claim Housing Benefit (or any of the other "working age" benefits).

will it also include for all those mps who get benefits for renting property in london outwith their own property area?

It's for Social Rented Housing only (ie council tenants)


I think there has been a lot of overly negative and media scaremongering, and this is definitely party politics at play, with deliberately sensationalized hard luck cases and images of mass poverty and hardship.

The reality is, it's not a tax, but a reduction in housing benefit for people occupying social rented housing who are deemed to have spare rooms. Eg, if your kids have flown the nest, and you now have 2 or 3 spare bedrooms, doesn't it make more sense to downsize, and free up the house for another large family?

Listening to older people on the TV who state it's their family home and their right to stay there, as their kids grew up there, is just ridiculous. The reality is, people in non social housing, ie rented or mortgaged live in the size of house their lifestyle, circumstances and income dictate. No doubt plenty of people would like to keep a larger more expensive house after the kids have flown the coup, but paying the bills, upkeep etc isn't practical for a lot of people.

Issues of lack of suitable soical housing stock to downsize to, sounds like more of an immediate issue, so being penalised when theres no where to go to doesn't sound right. Why Councils felt the need to sell off valuable housing stock at rock bottom prices is beyond me.

Likewise, the media keeps going on about being unfair to disabled people, or elderly who need a spare room for an overnight carer. These have been excluded.

There's always going to be exceptions to the rule, and no doubt some people will be affected who will need reconsidering.

But even with plenty of family members in social housing, as an overall policy, I think it's a good start in the right direction. No doubt it will need tweaking and amending as lessons get learnt, but it's a start.

You can get all the info here:
Bedroom Tax - National Housing Federation

thanks explains a lot was thinking would have to change one of the bedrooms, if it was for everyone, to something else ie mum's painting room or something

Have to admit, I'm all for benefit cuts and have been for over 10 years now. I think for many in this country it has become a way of life. For many once they have got themselves into a routine of not bothering to look for work but get out of bed mid morning, switch on the television and that's where they stay all day. I'm not saying everyone on benefits are like this, but quite a few are. As a lad growing up in the 70's your dad would have been ashamed to have been on the dole, not so nowadays. Everyone in this country whether they are currently working or not needs to change their attitude about benefits and what they are their for, there certainly not there to maintain a lifestyle. I fully understand that in certain parts of the country there are no industries to work in and they are in fact living in ghost towns, but they need to be willing to move where the work is and if it means moving several times over a couple of year tough. I'd be even tougher than Ian Duncan Smith, If it was me I'd give a maximum of 6 months benefits to give people enough time to sort out their problems and get back into work. And then stop them completely, I'd also set up free training centres where proper job skills are learnt be it building trades, secretarial skills, catering or any of a dozen other careers, if you lacked basic education skills like reading writing and arithmetic you'd be back in a class learning them, rather than using them as excuse of not being able to get work. Years ago they had Top's and YTS to get people back into work and they worked, ok they were probably costly to run, but they got people back into work. So I think the Government could do a lot more to help via proper educational funded training that leads to a worthwhile recognised qualifications and people who are unfortunate to being out of work need to change their attitudes about what they will or wont do to keep a roof over their heads. As for social housing and the bedroom tax it kind of seems wrong to me as I don't see who apart from the Government gets to benefit from the