Should all disabled adults be exempt from the bedroom tax?

Heléna Herklots, chief executive of Carers UK

Iain Duncan Smith, Work and Pensions Secretary

YES

The controversial bedroom tax, which came into effect last year, taxes people living in social housing with more bedrooms than occupants. Under the new policy, people with one ‘spare’ bedroom in their council or housing association home lose 14 per cent of their housing benefit and those with two or more lose 25 per cent.

Severely disabled children, foster carers and soldiers who are away serving overseas are exempt from the tax. Disabled people who need a room for their overnight carer to sleep in are also exempt but the tax still applies to couples where one has a disability and the couple cannot sleep in the same room. Some may live in a specially adapted flat and face having to move out or pay the tax.

Charities want all disabled adults to be exempt. Heléna Herklots, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “These changes would hit families for whom an extra bedroom is essential.

“If you care full-time for a severely ill or disabled partner, their condition may mean a separate room for you to sleep is vital. Hitting carers and disabled people with extra costs for this essential accommodation, or forcing them to move is simply wrong.

“These families are already struggling with the financial, physical and emotional pressures of disability, ill health and caring and are now being hit by a policy which should not apply to them in the first place.

“For many of these families, the rooms are not ‘spare’, but are essential for them to sleep, or for medical equipment and disability adaptations.”

NO

The Government claims nearly one third of working-age social housing tenants on housing benefit are living in accommodation too big for their needs.

Iain Duncan Smith said: “There are about 400,000 working age households on housing benefit in under-occupied social housing in Great Britain who require just one bedroom according to the size criteria.

“When so many houses have spare rooms and when so many people are in queues to get housing, it would seem wrong to go on subsidising everybody to stay the same.

“I am not saying that ending the spare room subsidy will not present some difficult cases, which is why we have allocated an additional £370m in Discretionary Housing Payments to help manage the transition.”

“But let me remind you that tenants on Housing Benefit in the private sector do not receive payments for spare bedrooms - it is only fair to taxpayers to bring the social sector back into line.”

The Government says it is up to housing benefit claimants to choose whether they want to pay the difference to their rent – on average £14 a week – or if they want to move to more appropriately sized accommodation.

It is estimated the bedroom tax will save up to half-a-billion pounds a year. The Government also claims there are over 250,000 households living in overcrowded accommodation in the social rented sector in England, who need more space.

The Government is providing councils with £150m in 2013/14 to help people affected by housing benefit reforms. This includes an extra £25m funding for the under-occupancy measure to help disabled people who live in adapted properties to stay in their homes.