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Julia Jones, who will have to live on just £53 a week, faces losing the home and garden where she scattered her husband’s ashes
This heart-wrenching letter shames David Cameron and the Coalition Government over their wicked bedroom tax.
In it, widow Julia Jones, 59, pleads with the PM to consider her plight, the Sunday People reports.
Julia, who will have to live on just £53 a week, faces losing the home and garden where she scattered her husband’s ashes.
The malicious and divisive tax will punish 660,000 ordinary men and women come April and is rapidly becoming David Cameron’s poll tax.
“Please think again,” Julia begs the PM.
Today everyone should read Julia’s letter.
Dear Mr Cameron
I heard you in Prime Minister’s Questions say you would look at individual cases on the bedroom tax.
I am 59 years old, David (my husband) and I have both worked since we were 15, paid taxes, did our bit.
We have never been well off but we both did worthwhile jobs.
Five years ago David got melanoma.
He had excruciating treatment and, although still not well, returned to work as he thought it was his duty.
Four years ago he got bowel cancer; he had an irreversible colostomy.
Six months later he returned to work. Two years ago he got brain cancer. Seven weeks later he died.
Throughout all this I was advised I could get care allowance, but I rejected this: he was my husband, it was my duty to care for him.
We lived off the little savings we had until we could return to work.
When he had the colostomy we were allocated this home as David could not climb stairs any more and I struggled.
His ashes are buried in the garden under the rose bushes that friends gave me instead of wreaths.
Mr Cameron, my husband and I were the hard workers you claim to support, we never asked for anything.
I would give everything if this had not happened to us.
Because we were on benefit and sick, you and your government said hateful words against us.
Words that made acquaintances look at us with contempt.
The most powerful men in the country imply we are scum so we must be scum.
You and your government call us scroungers, next door go to work while our bedroom curtains are still drawn.
My curtains were still drawn at 11am as the light made David scream with pain.
Do you not consider that I would give everything for my husband to be alive, me to not have incapacitating pain and we could both be the hard workers we once were?
I live in small 1 1/2 bed bungalow that was built for older people.
It is supported elderly living so I feel safe. It could not house a family as under 55s are not allowed.
You now want to take my home from me. The home that literally made my fingers bleed cleaning as it had been neglected for 20 years when we moved here.
You want me to leave my husband’s ashes, my neighbours who take me shopping and give me some form of social life? I have no family, we could not have children.
I am living without heating at present so how can I pay what I do not have to stay in my home?
Have you any idea how that affects my fibromyalgia?
I eat one meal a day and am in constant pain which is exacerbated by the cold.
I may get Discretionary Housing Benefit. But we both know that is only for 13 weeks at a time and when the pot is empty, it is empty.
I have considered moving but the only property available is far from shops and bus stops and costs £98 per month more than where I am at present. I would be living in isolation.
You say you are building more social housing, but it is too little too late for many of us.
You may blame the Labour policies, but it was your government who introduced this law so I have to hold you responsible.
Mr Cameron, I do not believe you or your MPs are evil men at heart, I believe this is an ill-thought-out plan and you did not understand the consequence of your action.
I ask you to take a step back and look at this again.
THE ABOVE IS JUST PLAIN CRUEL…I AM ASHAMED TO BE BRITISH.
Yours, Julia Jones
Julia has talked to The Sunday People – read more about her story.
Writing for The Sunday People, Labour leader Ed Miliband has called for Prime Minister David Cameron to wake up to the issue.
Get the latest news on the bedroom tax on our dedicated page.
Bedroom tax: Ten worst places to be hit by the cut ~ 2/3rds of those affected are disabled people Saturday 10th February 2013
13 Responses
Who but a tory could remain unmoved by such a letter. Cameron is a tory, his reply ” just calm down dear its for your own good dear the change will be good for you” If you gave them baths they would only keep the coal in them!
If mr Cameron does nothing about this case there is no hope for this country . I used to vote Tory ,never again.
Can i ask you why you voted tory and consined people to a life of hell thanks Wendy.
I honestly thought they would treat people fairly. However that has not been the case. I myself am being chucked off ESA after 25 yrs of mental health problems . The DWP have not taken the slightest bit of notice of letters both from my GP & my psychiatrist . I never believed the Tories would be so in humane treating people like this.
Everyone who is going to suffer because of the bedroom tax should write a letter to Cameron and their local MP, ALWAYS ask for a reply! then send a copy of that letter to your local paper.
Lets shame these MP’s who couldn’t give a damn about the suffering of their constituents.
The true face of the Tories is showing through,I have never ever and could not vote Tory to save my life.This poor woman,she has gone through so much in her life and when it’s her turn for help she is turned away.
At the next election it will be very hard to find anyone admitting to have helped to put this lot into power.
I realy think these MPS`s rank on par with the begining polocies of Nazi Germany in the 1930`s.They started with disabeled and gradualy worked their way around to their objectives with the general public fed misinformation and propoganda exactly as is happening now .Even now ex military personel ,injured in service are having benefits withdrawn just as happened then to those Heroes disabeled in WW1.The assault on the weakest in society is so successful because directly it does not effect the rest of the population who are only glad that this means they are being left alone.When those people later loose their rites like contracts ,terms of service redundancy ,retirement pay holiday pay and other hard fought for benefits that their forefathers fought so hard for against the ruling classes they will start to realise what has happened, “10600 so far and increasing “,are directly or indirectly loosing life even when the Governments fake medical done by Atos has said they are fit enough for work.Criminaly despite these Facts and the medical proffession calling for these assesments to stop our Government contiues so are publicly & knowingly guilty of crimes against humanity against the United Nations Convention of Human rites. Have no doubts more will suffer ,more will Die, but we must persevere and remember who they were and who is responsible.The present MP`s have crossed a line and even if they stop now are still the same as the murders that created the hollocaust.Their Policies have been sanctioned by Lords and unfortunaely the Monarchy which Saddens me deeply but shows how far this is approved.With the cuts on taxes for the most wealthy,the failure to recoup taxes from offshore havens & big corperations that sponser so many of our MP`s .A total failure to bring the speculative bankers who proffited by the creation of another world slump as the have repeatedly done to justice, and reign in ther freedom IS ACLEAR INDICATOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION ARE BEING COMPLETELY EXPLOITED BY THE MOST WEALTHY , INFLUENTIAL & ENPOWERED.
I have just been checking out the sunday people and there 139 comments on there but when you try to read them the sunday people’s server is so slow it wont let you in too read them? whats annoying is with these reforms is that a boy & girl under age of age have share same bedroom and these rules only apply to those on benefits and not those in full time work? as Cameron was never voted in and blackmailed libDem in to Govt’ment should have been null & void due X amount of polling station where closes & voters turned away? this should called for a new election!!! meaning Cameron went a step toooo far? One has to agree with Julias letter and it appears that the powers to be have been on to sunday people and told stop anyone leaving any comments?
Why on earth are they including two bedroomed homes. Where i live, there are very few one bedroomed flats. Those that do exist, are probably not suitable for disabled people or older people come to that. Bungalows for the elderly and disabled people are usually two bedroomed.
It’s just another way to line the pockets of their rich cohorts and themselves.. at the end of WW2 this country was a hairs width away from bankrupcy, and they had the money to put together the welfare state……..SO WHY DO THEY NOW SAY THEY HAVE ‘NO MONEY TO SUPPORT THE DISABLED ETC’. I’LL TELL YOU WHY, COS THEY ARE FAT GREEDY B######S WHO ONLY LOOK OUT FOR THEMSELVES……………It’s time we used article 61 of the MAGNA CARTA to hold them to account….David Cameron should take a pistol to his head and do the right thing…..
“The letter that shames David Cameron”he can’t be shamed he doesn’t give a dam about ordinary working class people.I live by “my word is my bond”but Cameron has broken so many election promises,I believe he is a compulsive liar.
THIS bedroom tax is not to give homes to people living in overcrowded propertys if that were true then it would be apply to all on social housing ,this is just a blatant attack on the poorest in society the low paid and people on benefits, get these evil torys out ,
I really worry about how people will manage when this bedroom tax comes in to effect. It has not been thought out at all. At the moment it won’t affect me, but I know, in time, it will do, and then I will have to move out of my disabled adapted property and into a small property which probably wont even have disabled access for my wheelchair. I hope the conservatives and liberal dems are happy with themselves. Personally, I lay awake every night wondering how I am going to manage paying my bills already, how I am goin to manage after, I really don’t know. I’ve got constant pain due to a spinal injury, and I also suffer from depression. This is not helping me at all, and I know that I am not alone, but hey so long as David Cameron and Nick Clegg and their lot are ok, it doesn’t matter does it.