People struggling to 'simply survive' the bedroom tax, says new study Communities are being pulled apart by the bedroom tax as people struggle to 鈥榮urvive鈥� its effects, says a leading academic at 缅北禁地. says a new study undermines Government claims that implementing the 鈥榬emoval of the spare room subsidy鈥� in April 2013 would not have a detrimental impact on people鈥檚 health and well-being. Published today in the (16 March 2015), the research shows that people affected by the bedroom tax are finding it impossible to manage ever-decreasing incomes, with many spiralling into debt and rent arrears in order to afford bare essentials. As part of their research, Dr Moffatt鈥檚 team also took each of the Government鈥檚 suggestions for mitigating the effects of the bedroom tax: downsizing, taking in a lodger, getting a job or increasing working hours - and found them all nearly impossible to achieve. The North East, where the research was carried out, is disproportionately affected by the 鈥榰nder-occupancy tax鈥� (or 鈥榖edroom tax鈥� as it is more commonly known) with some 50,000 households estimated to be 鈥榰nder-occupying鈥�. Social housing provider Your Homes 缅北禁地 (YHN) reported in January 2014 that 66% of people affected by the bedroom tax were in rent arrears. Residents were finding it increasingly difficult to buy simple, basic foodstuffs and in some extreme cases, cutting down to just one meal a day, or going to bed early to evade hunger and keep warm 鈥� a pattern more prevalent among parents to ensure their children were properly fed. 鈥淎 few pounds literally made the difference between falling into debt or not,鈥� says Dr Moffatt. 鈥淏udgeting advice was offered by service providers but this could not address the underlying problem that many residents simply had insufficient money to meet basic needs. 鈥淢onumental effort was put in by people to simply 鈥榮urvive鈥�. Their accounts powerfully demonstrate how loss of income as a result of the bedroom tax has a detrimental effect on mental health, with many saying it had left them feeling 鈥榟opeless鈥�.鈥� The research paper 鈥楢 qualitative study of the impact of the UK 鈥榖edroom tax鈥� looked at the effects on health and well-being; social relationships and the wider community. It followed people living in Walker, 缅北禁地 upon Tyne, which is in the top 10% most deprived areas of the UK. Around 650 households in this study area were affected by the bedroom tax. 鈥淭he bedroom tax reduces a home to simply bricks and mortar,鈥� explains Dr Moffatt. 鈥淗owever, these are homes that people invest in over time, places of safety within communities that offer friendship and support. As a consequence, many of those we interviewed elected to pay the tax in order to stay in their homes, resulting in cutting back on essentials such as food and heat to do so. 鈥淩ather than improve housing stock efficiency and save tax payers money, the effect of the bedroom tax in the North East is likely to make the distribution of social housing less efficient, encouraging a short-term approach that is unsustainable and disrupts communities.鈥� Researchers within 缅北禁地鈥檚 also looked at the Your Homes 缅北禁地 pilot intervention set up in response to the introduction of the bedroom tax in an attempt to mitigate a predicted increase in evictions and homelessness. Neil Scott, Director of Tenancy Services at YHN, says: 鈥淚n addition to offering emotional support, there were clear financial successes gained, for example through Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) and back-dated benefits. 鈥淲e also encouraged residents to enrol onto training courses. For those that took part, it was highly beneficial, with a small number of mainly short-term jobs created within our organisation.鈥� The pilot ran for seven months from September 2013 to April 2014 and included budgeting and housing advice, with a primary focus on testing the Government鈥檚 hypothesis that work pays by supporting residents who were farthest from the labour market to gain employment. 鈥淎lthough this pilot was fantastic for those involved, one person working over seven months can only achieve so much,鈥� says Dr Moffatt. 鈥淎t a time when local authority budgets are being increasingly tightened, it is always going to be difficult to fund interventions of this kind but it needs to be done, and on a long-term basis, for any lasting effects to be felt. There is no 鈥榪uick fix鈥� solution. 鈥淭hese people are not languishing around on benefits by any means 鈥� they face many complex barriers to employment such the poor state of the local labour market, as well as mental or physical health issues and lack of qualifications." Most people taking part in the study did not consider their home as 鈥榯oo large for their needs鈥� as many needed the flexibility to accommodate family, e.g. accommodating children in part-time custodial arrangements, siblings of different ages and needs, or having room for carers or couples who sleep apart due to health problems. There is a shortfall of one-bedroomed properties in the North East, which seriously limits options to downsize, with estimates of four households competing for each property. 鈥淭he reality is that residents did not have the money to pay the bedroom tax but could not easily re-locate to avoid paying it,鈥� explains Dr Moffatt. The Government鈥檚 other suggestion of taking in a lodger raises issues about legal contracts and also a loss of privacy, along with safeguarding issues, particularly in homes with children and vulnerable adults. In addition, at 10%, the North East currently has the highest unemployment rate in England and a lack of full-time jobs paying a living wage. Despite this and other barriers to work such as lack of qualifications and affordable childcare, a strong desire to work was expressed by the majority of residents, including those with physical disabilities and chronic health problems. Deputy Leader of 缅北禁地 City Council, Cllr Joyce McCarty, says: 鈥淭he bedroom tax, more than any other policy, shows how austerity is targeting the poorest people in society and hitting them hardest. 鈥淚t is creating a sense of hopelessness where people are struggling to eat and keep warm in order to try and pay this tax to keep a roof over their head 鈥� that is pernicious and inhumane, and it鈥檚 hardly surprising that it鈥檚 affecting people鈥檚 health. ?鈥淚 am proud that by working together on this project, 缅北禁地 City Council and 缅北禁地 have shone a light on the damaging consequences of this disgraceful policy which like the poll tax will hopefully be consigned to the dustbin.鈥� This in-depth qualitative study, believed to be the first of its kind, was commissioned by 缅北禁地 City Council and supported by funding from the 缅北禁地鈥檚 Institute for Social Renewal and the city council. End of project report: ImpactoftheBedroomTaxinWalker published on: 16 March 2015
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