[smudgie]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

That doesnt happen yet. Thats when universal credit starts.

Oh dear....it can only get worse.


I am surprised the house builders aren't looking into building one and two bedroom flats on brownfield sites. Keeping it as basic as possible for low rental fees.

[Vicky.]

I am surprised the amount of people in arrears is so low tbh. You can't magic money from nowhere lie people are expected to do. Especially when they CANT downsize as the smaller places arent there

[Kizzy]

I totally agree too vicky, this 'arms length' policy that the government maintained has now gone and effectively cut ties with a cross section of society... but it's not their voters and they've convinced them it's the right thing to do so....

[michael21]

uc will not be complete roll out UK wide till 2017 an less it scrap by then

[Josy]

I was just reading that our local council has just brought in a policy that states they won't be evicting anyone in 2013/14 that has fallen into arrears due to the housing benefit reductions.

I'm not sure if any other councils are doing this but it would be good if they did...

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Josy

I was just reading that our local council has just brought in a policy that states they won't be evicting anyone in 2013/14 that has fallen into arrears due to the housing benefit reductions.

I'm not sure if any other councils are doing this but it would be good if they did...

I agree,however I know of people who are already facing eviction proceedings by their councils.

Since I really haven't yet come across a council that actually likes this measure,I would be pleased to see that no evictions will be carried out so it is good that some are taking that line now.

Awful policy,unfair, heartless and unjust,hopefully ending up one of the bigger nails in this awful Govts, coffin.

[user104658]

Again it's a case of completely jumping the gun, even if it was a good idea. IF they had made an effort to build new, decent quality one and two bedroom properties all across the UK and THEN asked people with "too many" rooms to move into them, that would be one thing... but they brought it in when there simply aren't any :/. In every area I've lived in (in Scotland and also down in Lancashire), 1-bed council properties are basically non-existent. In Scotland most of the smaller council properties are all but identical (they literally look exactly the same in the area I'm in now as in the area I went to school - over 100 miles away) and that is, 4-in-a-block "house" style flats, with 2 bedrooms. That's just how they built smaller council properties. It's all there is!

My mum (who is 60, on early retirement) lives in one such property and is currently paying bedroom tax. Thankfully it's not budget breaking for her, but still, when she was told about it she did say "Well, I'll have a look at the one bedroom options anyway before I make a decision". The reply?

"Oh... err... there... there actually aren't any one bedroom properties in this town..."
"Are any likely to become available?"
"No... no it's not that there aren't any available... there aren't any."

it's a completely stupid situation, again probably caused by the policy makers not having left their ivory towers in decades. It's not that they just don't care that there aren't suitable properties available (although, they don't), it's that they simply are completely unaware of how anyone on less than a 75k salary actually lives... let alone someone on the 12k-to-20k full benefits income.

[Kizzy]

Those 4 block flats are called masonettes here. I agree the only 1 bed properties were mill cottages the council bought and were termed 'miscellaneous properties' on the housing forms of the 80's/90's, they got snapped up pdq during right to buy.
Other than them it's high rise, can you imagine your mother being forced to move to the 14th floor of a tower block due to this?