Agenda item

That this Council:

(a)       notes that the ‘bedroom tax’ is due to take effect from April this year;

(b)       condemns this policy which will affect anyone of working age (below 61 ½) on housing benefit deemed to be ‘under-occupying’ a social housing home, which equates to around 7500 homes across Sheffield;

(c)        deplores the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam for allowing the Government to implement this deeply unfair policy;

(d)       notes that the following are not exempt from the bedroom tax:

(i)                 those couples who need an extra bedroom because of one of them having a medical condition or disability;

(ii)               non-resident parents who have their children to stay at weekends in the holidays;

(iii)             families who offer regular respite support to other family members; and

(iv)              people living in homes which have  been substantially adapted at tax-payers’ expense;

(e)       is committed to supporting all residents, both children and adults, including those with disabilities and medical needs;

(f)         regrets that the Discretionary Payments Fund that the Government has made available is completely inadequate and is estimated to cover only a fraction of people affected by the bedroom tax and notes that this Fund is also expected to cover other welfare changes;

(g)       notes that the Government’s own Equality Impact Assessment estimates that two-thirds of households affected will have a member with a disability;

(h)        further notes that many independent analysts are predicting that households will move into the private rented sector, costing more, and that care needs for many disabled people will increase, again costing more;

(i)         further notes that there is not an excess supply of small properties available for households to move into in Sheffield;

(j)         further notes the bedroom tax will unfairly hit many people, including families with disabled children or adults, families who share the care of their children and families who offer respite care to other family members;

(k)        further notes that this policy may well end up costing the public purse more;

(l)         believes that disabled people – both adults and children – deserve respect and not to be penalised for their medical needs;

(m)      values the role of non-resident parents and believes they should be encouraged to play as full a part in the lives of their children as possible;

(n)        further values and appreciates the role of families who offer respite care – and not only because it saves the taxpayer billions of pounds;

(o)       notes that Housing Associations will have difficulty in keeping arrears down, damaging services for all tenants; and

(p)       therefore resolves to: 

(i)         ask the Leader to write to the Secretary of State outlining the Council’s concerns and urgently requesting that the bedroom tax is scrapped; and

(ii)               ask the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods to write to Sheffield MPs outlining the concerns and asking that they lobby for their affected constituents and push for the bedroom tax to be scrapped.