Scottish Government must use new powers to kill off hated levy
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is urging the Scottish Government to use new powers to effectively eradicate the bedroom tax in Scotland.
Its call comes as it was revealed that over a one year period, Glasgow had the highest number of people in the UK affected by hated levy, which penalises housing benefit payments for having extra bedrooms.
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show that in the year to August 12,443 bedroom tax cases were dealt with in the city.
East Ayrshire, Falkirk and West Dunbartonshire were also badly hit.
The bedroom tax has had an exceptional impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable families
While these were offset, or mitigated, by Scottish Government-directed top-ups to housing benefits, the SFHA says it wants ministers to go further and use new powers to be granted under the Scotland bill to axe the tax.
Mary Taylor, chief executive of the SFHA, said: “In terms of absolute numbers of people affected, the city of Glasgow is the highest in the UK at 12,443, outstripping the next biggest authority, Birmingham, by over 2,000cases.
“Throughout the UK, the bedroom tax has had an exceptional impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable families, and the cross party support in the Scottish Parliament for full mitigation of the policy in Scotland is fully appreciated by Scottish housing associations.
“We hope that the new powers offered in the Scotland bill to vary the level of the bedroom tax to zero will, once enacted, be used by the Scottish Parliament to consign it to history.”
