The Tory government has refused to lift the Bedroom Tax from victims of domestic abuse
He laughed: Remember, Iain Duncan Smith laughed at the terror he was causing a rape victim by using the Bedroom Tax to make it too expensive for her to keep a ‘panic room’. His Department for Work and Pensions later lost the case in the European Court of Human Rights but we should never forget that he and the other Tories thrive on terrorising vulnerable people.
The Tory government has confirmed that it will not lift the Bedroom Tax from victims of domestic violence, after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that it was an act of discrimination.
A cross-party group of MPs had written to demand that the government should lift the Bedroom Tax from such people.
The letter, signed by 44 MPs, was organised by Labour’s Stella Creasy and follows a decision by the European Court of Human Rights.
The Tory government had imposed the Bedroom Tax on a rape victim who had been given a panic room as part of a “sanctuary” scheme, but the ECHR had ruled that this was an act of discrimination as it meant she would be unable to afford to rent the property.
Full details are here.
According to the BBC:
44 MPs have written to Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey urging her “to take immediate action on this life and death matter.
“The application of the ‘bedroom tax’ to Sanctuary Schemes clearly undermines this aim.
“So too, seeking to encourage people to leave their homes for smaller ones as this policy does, is also in conflict with the aim of Sanctuary Schemes – which are designed to enable those at risk of domestic violence to remain in their homes safely.
“We call on the government to act now and create an exemption for this very vulnerable group.”
Last week, the DWP said it was “carefully considering the court’s decision”.
But now we’re being told: “The government said there were no plans to abolish its policy on the removal of the spare room subsidy.
“It said the policy helped contain ‘growing housing benefit expenditure’, strengthens work incentives and makes better use of available social housing.”
So it’s still all about the money: the Tories are ignoring the courts to continue persecuting victims of violence and rape – and putting their lives in danger. Think about that!
Source: MPs oppose ‘bedroom tax’ being applied to domestic abuse survivors – BBC News
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This policy was never about ‘work incentives’ or better allocation of social housing, it was about driving a wedge between the in-work poor and the vulnerable/ill..
let’s remember that it was bank lending, landlordism and property speculation that increased the housing benefit bill.
The fact that 28% of the electorate voted these shysters and gong farmers back in indicates what a moral dustbin much of our country has become.
Once again the Tories live up to their name as “The Nasty Party”, a reputation well deserved by a party of psychopaths.
THE NASTY PARTY IS ALIVE AND WELL. THEY TRY SO HARD TO RID THEMSELVES OF THAT PERFECT NAME FOR THEM, THEY JUST CANT DO IT. AS IT DESCRIBES THE TORIES EXACTLY. U PEOPLE VOTED FOR TORIES, U THOUGHT OF BREXIT INSTEAD OF THE COUNTRY. NHS, POLICE, CRIME ETC AND U WANTED A TORY GOVERNMEMNT, DONT START UR WHINGING NOW U DONT LIKE WHAT THE TORIES ARE DOING OR DONT TELL ME U DIDNT EXPECT THE TORIESA TO BETRAY U? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Obviously this goes out to everybody who voted Tory. I sympathise hugely with its message.
As a country “we” (the tory government) sit in Parliament behaving as if it’s just an extention of the uni debating societies. With all the petty political point scoring arguing down serious issues like this both home and abroad, until they can move on to the next topic to denigrate, over and over.
During which the little bobble-heads are wheeled out having learnt their little party scripts, defending and deflecting the atrocities gleefully inflicted on the most vulnerable of us, the least able to call out and expose the bullying.
Calling for countries with appalling records for Human Rights or their treatment of women, children and vulnerable or other acts “we” deem oppressive and inhumane to “clean up their act” or face sanctions. Worse even.
And yet time again and again behind the facade that dictates what they must be doing, to stop offending “our” delicate sensibilities, “we” infact commit greater transgression and oppression and have the temerity to appeal against judgments in favour of those “we” consider unworthy of support and care for. When that route fails, “we” simply just ignore it and carry on regardless!
To my mind that actually makes our government far worse, more callous, more determined in it’s relentless persecution for no reason other than it can than the countries it makes incendiary statements about (whilst still more than happily courting them for financial gains).
If I move to a smaller property it will cost more in housing benefit. LHA would actually pay more than my current rent. No sense in this policy at all.