Bedroom tax set to hit forces families 04.01.13
7A benefit cut aimed at releasing social housing stock is due to hit forces families in the pocket.
The bedroom tax will penalise families with empty bedrooms -- forcing tenants to downsize or pay for the rooms. It means service personnel deployed away from home could have nowhere to come back to when they are on leave.
Alison Huggan has twin sons serving in the Army. She lives in a three-bedroom property near Middlesbrough. Two of the bedrooms are for her boys, Aness and Aaron, but because they are not occupying them all the time Alison will lose £25 a week from her £71 in benefit.
It means she may have to downsize, leaving her children nowhere to come home to in the holidays.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions told Forces News there would be no exception for cases like Alison's, saying they need to make better use of the social housing stock.
He said: ""It's only right that we bring fairness back to the system and make better use of the social housing stock.
"However, family members who are away from home for short periods of time will be protected by temporary absence rules. Vulnerable households can also apply to their local council for Discretionary Housing Payments."
The DWP rules state:
- Short absences from home (up to 13 weeks) are covered by the temporary absence rules but the family home has to be their main home that they intend to return to.
- If the absence is due to be longer then, for benefit purposes, this is not deemed to be their main home and the under-occupation measure will apply.
- Households can also apply for a Discretionary Housing Payments - £30 million pounds has been allocated to councils.
- The average shortfall will be around £14 per week.
The bedroom tax comes into force in April.