The Bedroom tax – 50,000 now face eviction

More than 50,000 people affected by the so-called bedroom tax have fallen behind on rent and face eviction, figures given to The Independent show.

The statistics reveal the scale of debt created by the Government’s under-occupancy charge, as one council house tenant in three has been pushed into rent arrears since it was introduced in April.

Figures provided by 114 local authorities across Britain after Freedom of Information requests by the campaign group False Economy show the impact of the bedroom tax over its first four months. The total number of affected council tenants across Britain is likely to be much higher than the 50,000 recorded in the sample of local authorities that responded to the request.

At least another 30,000 people living in housing association properties have also fallen behind on rent payments since the bedroom tax came in, with potentially tens of thousands more also affected, according to separate research by the National Housing Federation.

St Ann’s councillor Dave Liversidge (City Council portfolio holder for the social & the voluntary sector) said to day “I am hopeful that the Labour Party will announce at its upcoming conference that the Bedroom tax will be repealed after the next general election. Unions have a motion on this subject before the conference, specifically asking for this,” he said.