Cameron Facing Bedroom Tax Rebellion from His Own MPs

David Cameron is facing a Bedroom Tax rebellion from his OWN MPs. They were stunned by the strength of feeling on the doorstep against the hated levy while campaigning in the General Election. They will hold talks to discuss strategy led by Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski. He told the Sunday People: “I will be talking to colleagues with similar concerns when we’re back.” The Prime Minister is facing a growing backlash from his party because Bedroom Tax goes against the new Tory ‘One Nation’ agenda. His chief speechwriter until the General Election, Clare Foges, wrote: “Move on from the Bedroom Tax.  It is not working as had been hoped and will remain a fly in the ‘One Nation’ ointment.” Read more on the Sunday People website.

Help to Buy Supports Only 47,000 Mortgages - 60% behind Chancellor's Target

George Osborne’s Help to Buy scheme to get would-be home owners on the property ladder is more than 60% behind target. It was introduced by the Chancellor to help those who can afford a mortgage but do not have enough cash for a deposit. It means that qualifying buyers can put down just 5% of the sale price with the lender providing the remaining 95%. And the Government guarantees the mortgage company for losses if the borrower defaults. The scheme started in January 2014 and is set to run until 2020. But the number of mortgages supported is 47,000 according to the Treasury’s annual accounts. And the Chancellor had hoped for a take-up of more than 118,000. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Affordable Homes Spending At Its Lowest Since 2000

Spending on affordable housing is at its lowest point for 14 years. Latest figures show it stood at £965million last year - the same as it was in 2000. But the Tories were so embarrassed about the stats they waited five months to put them out. The affordable houses programme is designed to offer cheap properties for rent or sale not provided by the market. Investment in affordable housing has been dropping since its high point of £3.7 billion in 2009-10, the last year of the previous Labour government. By 2011 spending had gone down more than £1billion and has been dropping ever since. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Million More Families Will Pay Bedroom Tax If Tories Triumph In May

David Cameron is set to hit ONE MILLION more families with the hated Bedroom Tax if the Tories win the election. New official figures analysed by Labour show that the number of households affected by the cruel levy will increase by 220,000 a year.  And that will top a million homes if Mr Cameron is PM for another five years. More than 460,000 social housing tenants pay the tax through cuts in Housing Benefit but that number will rise as children leave home or a family member dies. One in three victims is disabled and 60,000 are carers. Read more on the Sunday People website.

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.

Tories in Commons 'Time Wasting' Plot To Save Bedroom Tax

Tory MPs are being accused of hatching a time wasting Commons plot to save the Bedroom Tax. Now supporters of its abolition have threatened to force an all-night sitting to ensure the reforms go through Parliament. A private Bill that would scrap the cruel tax for many victims is now being considered by a committee of MPs. If it becomes law those who could not be found smaller homes would be exempt from charges on extra bedrooms. But Tories on the committee are trying to have it bogged down in irrelevant debate says the Bill’s Lib Dem sponsor Andrew George. And No10 is also trying to slam on the brakes by refusing to grant the “money resolution” required by any backbench Bill. This formality allows Bills which involve public money to progress through its stages. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Benefits Chaos May Cost Taxpayers £1.25BILLION as Universal Credit Bill Soars

The chaos over bringing in Universal Credit could end up costing taxpayers an extra £1.25billion. The new system is ­gradually being rolled out to merge most working age benefits into one by 2017. But its mastermind Iain Duncan Smith is dithering over how entitlements such as free school meals and cold weather payments will work with UC. The Work and Pensions Secretary must decide whether UC claimants will still be eligible for those benefits too. Shadow work and pensions ­secretary Rachel Reeves said: “The failure to decide how Universal Credit will work threatens to cost ­ £1.25billion.” Read more on the Sunday People website.

Bedroom Tax 'Savings' Wiped Out By Housing Benefit Fraud and Error

Housing benefit fraud and error now costs taxpayers three times more than savings from the Bedroom Tax. Iain Duncan Smith has been blamed by his Labour opposite number Rachel Reeves for the waste. She said: “Billions are poured away in housing benefit fraud while the poorest pay the cruel and unfair Bedroom Tax.” She spoke out after it was revealed DWP figures show benefit cheating and claimant mistakes are costing £1.4billion a year. At nearly six per cent of the Housing Benefit bill that’s the highest level ever. And it compares to annual savings of £480million from the bedroom tax. The DWP predicts losses will continue until Universal Credit replaces most ­benefits by 2017. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Bedroom Tax Commons Vote To Be Forced Through

Labour aims to make Nick Clegg put government money where his mouth is and scrap the Bedroom Tax. Ed Miliband plans to force a Commons vote in the autumn on abolishing the hated charge. Last week the Liberal Democrats called for a major overhaul of the levy they had previously supported . A Labour motion for abolition after the 2013 summer recess was defeated by 252 to 226 votes because of coalition support. But if the Deputy PM now gets his MPs to vote with Labour – the housing benefit cut would have to be abolished. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Money Expert Blasts Bedroom Tax and Urges Cameron to Scrap It

Money expert Martin Lewis is calling on David Cameron to admit he got it wrong on the hated Bedroom Tax – and finally scrap it. The cash wizard told the Sunday People our Prime Minister should recognise the Tory policy is brutal because it ­threatens to take away support from 660,000 people, two thirds of them disabled. Martin, the creator of website MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “The Government should say, ‘We tried that. It was a good idea but it hasn’t worked. We’ll stop.’ “But they can’t do that because they will be seen as a failure. We live in a country where politicians doing a U-turn is seen as a bad thing. We are all worse off for it.” Read more on the Sunday People website.

Taxpayers to Fork Out Extra £1BILLION In Housing Benefit - Despite Bedroom Tax Misery

Taxpayers are to fork out £1BILLION more in housing benefit despite the misery caused by the Bedroom Tax, reveals the Sunday People. Iain Duncan Smith launched the hated tax a year ago to save £490million from the ­annual £24billion housing benefit bill. But figures from the Government’s own Office of Budget Responsibility forecast it will rise by £100million in the next financial year, £300million in 2015-16, £300million in £2016-17, £200million in 2017-18 and £100million in 2018-19. Labour leader Ed Miliband said: “The housing benefit bill is going up not down. Those forced out of their homes have to get more help to pay rent to private landlords instead of councils or housing associations.” Read more on the Sunday People website.

Bedroom Tax Loophole

Social housing tenants can avoid the hated Bedroom Tax by using their spare room to set up a business. Then they won’t have to pay an extra £14 a week because they can prove they are using extra bedrooms, the Sunday People reports. Amazingly the loophole was revealed by a Government spokesman in the House of Lords. Earl Attlee, who is a Tory despite being grandson of Labour post-war PM Clem Attlee, said: “The spare room subsidy encourages people to make full use of their property and to ­consider running a small business. I think that is highly desirable.” Read more on the Sunday People website.

Government's £1bn Scheme to Build 10,000 New Homes Places Orders for Just 294

A £1billion Government scheme to build 10,000 new homes for rent has placed orders for only 294. The Sunday People reports just two contracts have been awarded since the Build to Rent Fund was ­unveiled in 2012. One is for 192 homes in Manchester and the other for 102 in Southampton. Neither will be ready for tenants before the General Election in May next year. Former housing minister Mark Prisk last year said demand for the fund was so great it had been increased from £200million to £1billion. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Bedroom Tax Will Waste £234MILLION If Disabled Tenants Forced To Move

Taxpayers will see an estimated £234million wasted if the Bedroom Tax forces disabled tenants to move from special homes. That is nearly HALF the £500million the Government hoped to save this year with the hated rules. Minister for Disabled People Esther McVey admitted: “We ­estimate around 35,000 claimants affected by removal of spare room subsidy live in significantly adapted accommodation.” An average of £6,700 has already been spent on making their homes suitable. If they have to move to smaller properties even more cash will have to be spent adapting those. Read more on the Sunday People website.

Pensioner Driven To Suicide by ‘Bedroom Tax’

A Solihull grandmother has killed herself because she was struggling to afford the government's 'bedroom tax', her son has claimed.  Stephanie Bottrill left a note in which she blamed the Government for her death.  Just days before she died, the 53-year-old, from Solihull in the West Midlands, told neighbours she simply could not afford to live any more.  Her family told the Sunday People she was tortured about how she would afford the £20 extra a week for the two under-occupied bedrooms in her home - money she owed because of the Government's spare room subsidy policy, the so-called "bedroom tax".  In a letter to her son Steven, 27, she said: "Don't blame yourself for me ending my life. The only people to blame are the Government."  Read more on the Sunday People website.