Grieving mum found hanged near Bedroom Tax eviction letter

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Original post by ChaoticButterfly

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/grieving-mum-found-hanged-near-7223683

Her 16 year old son committed suicide which freed up a room in her house making he liable to bedroom tax. She didn't pay it and was threatened with eviction which lead to her killing herself.

I thought one fo the good thing about right wing conservative governments was supposed to be that they leave you alone. Not threaten eviction for not paying tax fo raving an empty bedroom... especially when that bedroom is empty because your son took how own life in there.

I think the introduction of Bedroom Tax was a stupid and vindictive regulation brought in by a government who does not understand the difference between a house and a home...

However In the interests of balance, she should have had 52 weeks protection on her Housing Benefit entitlement due to bereavement (so no decrease in her maximum eligible rent for a year from the date her son died).

Plus in my job if the person I loved more than anyone else in the world died, I'd get three days off as bereavement leave, then it's "Get back to work you lazy sod". For the majority of us at the worst time in our lives, there's always going to be a huge gulf between what we need and what we're being allowed.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 61

scrotgrot

Original post by TimmonaPortella

So let's free up some land, loosen building constraints, and let people build. I don't see why it should have to be done by the state, and I don't see why it is desirable that it should be.

The problem would seem to be a shortage of homes, not the fact that many of them are let by private landlords. If there is room for new competition in the market for housing provision (which necessitates space and permission to build) I can't see why private lettings would be an issue.

I agree, but apparently the free market only applies in those circumstances where it will benefit the rich and those with political influence, not normal people

State actions would be good too. Specifically a use it or lose it clause, some swingeing tax on empty prime property, immediate building on state owned land.

Reply 62

Sephiroth

The bedroom tax is a tax on the poor and one of the worst government policies in decades. Until the government start building millions of one bedroom houses for people to downsize they shouldn't even be considering taxing people for living in a two bedroom home.

Reply 63

username2324383

I think the bedroom tax is pointless. People have enough bills to pay and so what if you have an unused bedroom? It can be used for something else like a study room, storage room or guest room. More than enough money goes towards buying a house, it's just another way for them to go clubbing from tax payers hard earned money.

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Reply 64

nulli tertius

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

I do not see that there was an awful lot to be done here.

It is always very useful to see how this story is covered by the local press. Like many of these "shock horror" stories picked up by the nationals, it has not rated a mention in the Doncaster, Sheffield or Rotherham paper websites.

It was also noticeable that the journalist's account in the Mirror was so poor as to suggest that she was "badgered for [non-existant] Bedroom Tax"

These events were two years after her son's death. Whether she intended to kill herself or not, she was engaged in a game of brinkmanship with the local council. This was not a woman with no idea what to do as the debt built up. This was someone who had been actively fighting a battle with the local council for some considerable time. That doesn't mean it might not have all got too much for her, but it does mean that advice such saying she should have got help from the CAB is irrelevant.

If, on the day before she killed herself, if you had asked in the neighbourhood where many people would have either faced the same financial issue in relation to children leaving home and some would have been on the housing waiting list for larger homes, whether she was being reasonable, I think few would have said that she was.

Reply 65

InArduisFouette

Original post by samzy21

thankyou for demonstrating your ignorance

the 'so called bedroom tax' is in fact a regualrisation of the Housing benefit system , and applies only to those in reciept of housing benefit and renting from an RSL ... those renting privately and recieving HB have been subject to household size based payments for many years ... unlike those housed by RSLs where the full rent was paid ( on the say so of the council , often to the council or on the say so of an ALMO or HA to the ALMO or HA) ...

Reply 66

Tiger Rag

Original post by zippyRN

But if you're private renting, your housing benefit doesn't get reduced if your house is bigger than what the council says you need.

Reply 67

Ethereal World

Original post by nulli tertius

Great post, but just FYI your signature is now getting my vote for TSR award best sig! love it.

Reply 68

nulli tertius

Original post by zippyRN

Original post by Tiger Rag

But if you're private renting, your housing benefit doesn't get reduced if your house is bigger than what the council says you need.

I am afraid you are not right. Atlhough zippy is correct that there have been curbs on rents with private landlords for many years, all local authority, housing association and private sector tenants are affected by the "spare room subsidy" constraints unless they are personally exempt eg pensioners.

Reply 69

Tiger Rag

Original post by nulli tertius

Link please? I'm actually right - someone renting privately s entitled to live in as big a hose as they wish without their benefits being affected.

Reply 70

Dopesmoker

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

No sympathy.

I'm assuming her own suicide had more to do with her son's suicide than the bedroom tax, but the government is not at fault her. The government should not be blamed for people's mental instability.

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Reply 71

nulli tertius

Original post by Tiger Rag

Link please? I'm actually right - someone renting privately s entitled to live in as big a hose as they wish without their benefits being affected.

I think fairly you are right to the extent that they have kept separate regulations for private sector and social sector tenants. However they have in 2013 made amendments to the private sector regs to apply the same disregards as were contained in the new social sector regs. However, to suggest that the number of rooms in the house does not affect private sector tenants is wrong.

Here is a note on the rules (there were very minor tweaks in 2014 after this note)

http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04887/SN04887.pdf

Reply 72

InArduisFouette

Original post by Tiger Rag

But if you're private renting, your housing benefit doesn't get reduced if your house is bigger than what the council says you need.

but you were never paid more than the entitlement based on your household size in the first place ...

Reply 73

Tiger Rag

Original post by zippyRN

but you were never paid more than the entitlement based on your household size in the first place ...

Yes. But your housing benefit isn't reduced if your house has more rooms in it.

Reply 74

InArduisFouette

Original post by Tiger Rag

Yes. But your housing benefit isn't reduced if your house has more rooms in it.

Private sector HB is based on the lower third rental value for the size of property your household is eligible for...

Reply 75

Tiger Rag

Original post by zippyRN

Private sector HB is based on the lower third rental value for the size of property your household is eligible for...

And?

Reply 76

ChaoticButterfly

I have an agenda insofar as I think polices that lead to this kind of thing happening are awful policies that should at least be seriously reviewed. That bit should not be controversial.

There is something wrong with the sop called bedroom tax, and I do think it is an endemic problem that is a result of the overall attitude of the people running the country. This bit is open to interpenetration. But its what I think. I make no apologies to people like you who get upset that someone has an "agenda". Feel free to make your mind up, but we are not all Kim clones.