Daily Record Lion

 

By  

 

NEW figures show the sick and disabled will bear the brunt of the Tories’ hated new tax.

Tommy Lafferty at a Bedroom Tax Protest in Glasgow Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record

Tommy Lafferty at a Bedroom Tax Protest in Glasgow Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record

 

EIGHT out of 10 people hit by the Tories’ hated ­bedroom tax are ­disabled.

New figures reveal the sick and disabled are the main victims of changes that could force anyone with a spare bedroom out of their home unless they have their housing benefit cut.

The tax is part of the Government’s blitz on benefits, under which the sick and disabled are being reassessed for work and housing benefit.

Council or housing association ­tenants with spare bedrooms face ­moving to a smaller home or losing up to 25 per cent of their housing benefit.

Around 105,000 Scots households will be hit by the tax in April, including 83,000 who have an adult with a ­disability, according to the Scottish Government

Scottish Housing and Welfare ­Minister Margaret Burgess warned that the benefits cut will hit the most vulnerable people.

She said:

“I cannot overstate the appalling impact this bedroom tax will have on people in Scotland.

“For example, eight out of 10 ­households that will be hit include an adult with a disability.

“This is compelling evidence that the UK Government must take into account as it looks again at how the bedroom tax affects disabled people.

“It is deeply worrying that we have got to this stage, with the policy about to implemented in April.

“The UK ­Government only now seem to be ­waking up to its ­potentially ­damaging and ­disproportionate effect on disabled people.”

Dana O’Dwyer, chief executive of ­disability campaigners Capability ­Scotland, said:

“It’s not benefit cheats who are being targeted, it’s those who need a room for specialist equipment or whose severely disabled child must sleep separately from their siblings.

“The policy will also affect those whose home has a spare room simply because it was the only fully accessible property available to them following an accident or illness.”

Meanwhile, a housing charity has urged the Scottish Government to ­provide £50million of support for people hit by the bedroom tax.

The plea follows the pledge by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week to scrap the bedroom tax in ­Scotland if the country votes for ­independence.

Shelter Scotland have also called for a guarantee that Scottish tenants would not be evicted for bedroom tax arrears.

Director Graeme Brown said:

“We agree with the Scottish Government that the UK Government must reverse these cuts and that Scottish ministers are not able to mitigate all the impact of these reforms.

“But Scottish ministers are not ­powerless to act to protect council tax payers who will have to foot the bill of increased homelessness or those ­vulnerable tenants at risk of losing their home.

“That’s why we think the Scottish Government should make up to ­£50million available to help mitigate the impact of the first year of the ­bedroom tax and give practical help to all set to lose out.”

This month, the ­Sunday Mail highlighted the plight of a disabled mum who faces losing a ­quarter of her benefit money.

Iris Henderson, 59, who was born with dwarfism, faces losing the cash unless she moves out of her specially adapted house.

Iris has lived in her three-bedroom home in Cumbernauld for 35 years and has spent thousands of pounds adapting it to make life easier.

Yesterday, Iris, whose story we told two weeks ago, said the tax showed the Tories’ contempt for the poor.

She said:

“David Cameron and George Osborne have no idea of what it is like to live with a disability. People with ­disabilities will be condemned to a life of isolation. They won’t be able to get out because they’re worried about paying for this bedroom tax.

“Going for lunch or to the cinema with friends can be a lifeline but people won’t be able to afford that if they are hit by the bedroom tax.

“They will be stuck at home. How would Mr Cameron like to stare at four walls, day in and day out?

“I will lose £72 a month in benefits. That will have a big impact on my ­quality of life.

“The bedroom tax is something that has been cobbled together without very much thought for the impact it 
will have on disabled people. Some ­people might take their own lives.

“It is difficult enough to live in ­constant pain without this added burden.”

The Con-Dems’ assault on the ­vulnerable has also closed factories that employ disabled workers.

Remploy plants across the UK have been axed with the loss of 1752 jobs.

Factories in Motherwell, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling, Clydebank, Leven and Cowdenbeath have closed.

Wheelchair factory worker George ­Scollen, 58, was found dead at home on the day his workplace in Springburn, ­Glasgow, shut its doors.

The Scottish Daily Record

 

Category
Tags

9 Responses

  1. This Lib con government doesn’t give two hoots about the poorest in this country,all they are bothered about are the rich,and people overseas.Thank God I can’t claim responsibility for helping to elect ’em.

  2. If anyone should is Cameron have a disabled son I think he pass on? before he went on to number 10? like I have said he is awear of what it is like to have specia;ist equipment in a spare room but he and IDS are venting their anger at those who are both terminally ill & disabled?
    2013 will go down in history as the year that the British Govt’ment helpp to kill thousands of disabled & terminally ill before their time just to save money to give away to over seas aid?

  3. People in their thousands should contact the international court of human rights to have Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith investigated for the part they have in the Atos Suicides. They are culpable inasmuch as they continue to deploy Atos AFTER suicides have occurred. We cannot let them get away with their planned evil. Start writing now and have them investigated.

  4. I’m disabled. They want £15 a week for my necessary spare room where my carer stays at weekends to take me shopping and cooks for me. They will cut my Housing benefit by 14% at the same time. And there a chance I’ll lose my DLA and the mobility Scooter I have that lets me get out. I pay £i40 a month to Motability for this privilege.
    When they take my benefits, then my house, where will I go? What will I do? I have no family to help look after me. Why am I being penalised for the criminal acts of the Bankers who put the country in this position.
    My BP is off the scale. i don’t know what to do next. All the agencies say it’s a bad set of laws, but their hands are tied.

    I hope the people who have done this to me choke on their meals when my body is found! THEY have murdered me!

  5. All you disabled people that this will apply to dont pay the extra for the bedroom- let the debt mount up and see if they will evict you-they cannot deal with so many people refusing to pay! I may be in the same boat-yet to see

  6. David Moynagh February 24, 2013 at 8:22 pm
    People in their thousands should contact the international court of human rights to have Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith investigated for the part they have in the Atos Suicides. They are culpable inasmuch as they continue to deploy Atos AFTER suicides have occurred. We cannot let them get away with their planned evil. Start writing now and have them investigated.
    HOW DO WE DO THIS-WHO DO WE RIGHT TO EXACTLY

  7. quote from the abopve article “David Cameron and George Osborne have no idea of what it is like to live with a disability.” David Cameeron knows only too well about disabilities as his father and his own son (who died) were disabled and he didnt mind claiming DLA, carers, free nappies etc from the state despite being a £Multi m. I think this is the reason behind the persecution of the disabled, as it is a common trait of people with narcissistic personality disorder to loathe and target people who have caused him any upset as he would not have liked anyone less than perfect around him and blames all the disabled for his familys disability.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/

Leave a Reply

Help support our work
Donate

One way you can help is to make a much valued Donation to Black Triangle through PayPal.

Got a news story relating to disability? Contact –


The News Service that focuses on disability issues such as discrimination, equality, independent living, disability benefits, poverty and human rights.

If you have a story that you think would be of interest to Disability News Service please contact John Pring via

john@disabilitynewsservice.com

Donate

One way you can help is to make a much valued Donation to Black Triangle through PayPal.

e-petition - Stop Unfair Re-assessments For Disabled People

Responsible department: Department for Work and Pensions

Stop the unfair and cruel re-assessments via ATOS for disabled people currently on Incapacity Benefit. ESA is a flawed benefit, and puts terrible pressure and stress on vulnerable people, putting people who cannot work on lesser benefits and applying sanctions. Let disabled people decide for themselves if they can work, they and their carers know best.

Click HERE to Sign

Called in for an ESA by Atos? You are not alone, join DWPExaminations Forum

 
For Help, Advice & Support