Labour Claims Bedroom Tax Is 'Costing London's Poor £50m a Year'

The “bedroom tax” is squeezing more than £50 million a year from London’s poorest families, Labour has said. Unveiling new figures about the Coalition’s most controversial benefits reform, shadow welfare minister Helen Goodman said the average London family affected would lose £1,060 a year. Some 48,247 families in the capital have had benefits reduced because they have more rooms than they are deemed to need. But Labour said claimants cannot easily move to smaller flats because of waiting lists, meaning they end up without enough money to make ends meet. The figures show that Londoners lose more cash than people in any other region because of high rents. Read more on the Evening Standard website.