The Right Hon Rosie Winterton MP has made the following statement in her weekly Parliamentary bulletin:

“I know how concerned many constituents are about the Government’s ‘bedroom tax’, which will come into effect in April and will mean anyone living in social rented housing with one or more ‘spare’ rooms will lose an average of £14 per week.

On Tuesday the Government announced that people who are approved foster carers and families of armed service personnel will be exempt from the bedroom tax and will not see their income reduced.

This announcement does not, however, do anything to help almost half a million households that are home to a disabled person and face losing over £700 a year from the bedroom tax. It also does not go far enough to include army reservists, whose families could also be hit.

The Government’s bedroom tax will not solve under-occupancy, it will make some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society even poorer and it could also cost the taxpayer more than it saves. That is why I oppose this tax and will continue to urge the Government to abandon this cruel attack on those who are least able to afford it.”