Bedroom Tax Residents Given £900 to Downsize

Residents affected by the bedroom tax are set to receive up to £900 in return for downsizing.  Whitefriars, a housing association which took over the former council housing in Coventry, and the city council will gift tenants £300 per spare bedroom in a bid to free up much-needed larger properties.  The cash will then be spent on removal costs or on decoration and flooring for their new homes.  Whitefriars has pinpointed 150 homes which could be freed up under the scheme. It comes after the government cut benefits to any housing association tenants with spare bedrooms.  Around 3,000 residents have been affected in Coventry alone.  Read more on the Coventry Observer website.

Council Agrees Downsizing Pot

Richmond Council has agreed a pot of £150,000 to offer tenants a cash incentive to downsize after their children have left home.  The cabinet decided to put the cash towards its Sponsored Moves scheme, which is already up and running and has so far made more than 200 family-sized homes available.  It awards tenants who move to a smaller property £2,500 for every bedroom they lose as a result of the move, up to a maximum of £7,500.  The council may also provide help with the cost of removals and redecoration.  Read more on the Richmond Council website.