Study Finds Premise behind Bedroom Tax Is ‘Fundamentally Flawed’

A new study shows that more than half of English homes - which are the smallest by floor area in Europe - fall short of modern space standards, calling into question the premise behind the so-called ‘bedroom tax’.  The study also found that households receiving housing benefit were more likely to be undersized, with 'spare' bedrooms required for other uses, suggesting that the policy of withdrawing benefits from these households is misguided. The research, from the University of Cambridge, analysed 16,000 dwellings in England and compared them to the London Housing Design Guide internal space standard. It found that 55% of dwellings fall short of the standards based on floor space alone, and 21% fall short when the number of current occupants is taken into account. Read more on the Cambridge University website.