Benefits Britain: The Bedroom Tax
Will you be watching this tonight on Dispatches, readers?
Of all the welfare changes brought in by the coalition government, the so-called Bedroom Tax is perhaps the most controversial.
Thousands of people around the country have had their housing benefit reduced because of a spare room in their house or flat. The choice for many has been to find the rent money elsewhere or move to a smaller home.
The government says that the reform is fair, will save taxpayers money and will encourage welfare claimants to live in appropriately sized houses, but this Dispatches investigates the reality on the ground.
Reporter Seyi Rhodes travels the country to meet those affected by the change and those supposed to be implementing it. He speaks to the Conservative politicians speaking out against the reform, the councillors refusing to implement it, and the families at the frontline.
Same Difference 
Bedroom Tax is NOT fair, and never can be. People who under-occupy their homes usually do so through no fault of their own, often because someone has died; by contrast, those who over-occupy have caused the situation themselves by having more children than they can afford or accommodate. Governments should not encourage these types to behave irresponsibilty by Bedroom Tax or any other means, and other tenants should not have to move to accommodate them.
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