‘Bedroom Tax’ will hit people hard

I am sorry that Cllr. The Lord Amptill (David Russell) felt my letter a cynical ploy associated with the forthcoming County Council elections.

The “Bedroom Tax” along with so many others of this government’s policies, is ill-thought out, ill-conceived, punitive and indefensible, attacking the poor of society and comes into force this week, a month before the election.

Yes, there have been panic-stricken last minute adjustments to take into account the Armed Forces, foster parents and adults with disabilities, but I was addressing the many concerns of those I represent to our MP for her response not the councillor, as her spokesman, both seemingly out of touch with the local people.

Had Labour been elected a review of the welfare system would have been carried out, but it would not have targeted the poorer members of society, while giving substantial tax advantages to millionaires and top earners, many of whom doubtless are the bankers whose greed and stupidity brought the country to its economic knees, forcing the previous government to borrow billions to keep the banks open and protect savings and pensions.

It is constantly said that people in social housing in receipt of benefit should move to smaller properties or lose benefit – this is described by the weasel word “fair” in full knowledge that there are no smaller properties for them to move into, one result of an earlier Tory policy of the “Right to Buy”, where promises that more social housing would be built were broken. For some considerable time financial incentives have been available to people who want to downsize, but no THERE ARE NO SMALLER PROPERTIES.

Almost three quarters of a million very hard working families are in receipt of housing benefit because they are below the poverty line. They will lose out and this, coupled with ever rising prices, soaring energy costs (set to rise due to the latest energy plans) and household bills that have doubled in the past five years will reduce them to desperate penury. The situation is bad enough now, as the rapidly rising number of food banks in England attests, but the future doesn’t bear thinking about for these people, so tell me again that the financial policies of this government are fair?

Yours faithfully, Cllr. Sam Souster. RDC, Rye Ward.