Council Tenants in Arrears 'May Be Evicted'

Council tenants in Bristol who have fallen into arrears due to housing benefit changes may have to be evicted, the city's mayor has admitted. In March, George Ferguson said those adversely affected by the "spare room subsidy" would not be moved. But a cross-party report saying a no evictions policy was "unsustainable" has been supported by the mayor.  Mr Ferguson promised to make a final decision on the issue at the next meeting of his cabinet. About 3,500 city council tenants are affected by the benefit changes.  Read more on the BBC website.

'Bedroom Tax': More Tenants Apply For Financial Help

Bedroom tax or spare room subsidy? The politicians may argue over the title but one fact can't be ignored.  That's the growing evidence of council tenants facing real financial difficulties. New figures from councils in the East Midlands report a rise in the number of people applying for emergency financial help to avoid eviction. Nottingham City Council has dealt with 223 applications for financial help, a fourfold increase on April last year. In Derby, it's 420 households, that's almost as many as the whole of last year. And in Leicester, there were 327 cases - six times as many as April 2012.  Read more on the BBC website.