Bedroom Tax Leaves 1,500 Larger Homes Empty and Councils with £20MILLION Rent Deficit

Councils are losing £20million in rent a year as the disastrous Bedroom Tax leaves homes empty. Nearly 1,500 multiple-bedroom properties are vacant because tenants cannot afford to move into them. Shadow Housing minister Emma Reynolds said : “Since the Bedroom Tax was introduced, rent arrears have soared. “But it’s also increasing the number of homes left empty because tenants can’t afford this unfair charge.” The waste of good homes comes despite 1.7 million people being stuck on council house waiting lists in England. New Government figures show the number of empty properties increased from 25,462 in 2012-13 to 26,958 in 2013-14 when the tax was introduced. As a result lost rental income went up from £107million to £127million.Read more on the Sunday People website.