Forums Forums Wirral Information Wirral Council will bedroom tax affect you?

Another vid of the Bootle protest. Largest in the U.K to date.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPHjXk3M-28

http://www.greenbenchesuk.com/2013/03/tory-bedroomtax-is-today-challenged-in.html
Tory #BedroomTax is today challenged in a court of law as legal proceedings are launched.

I dont know if this has been mentioned before but I've just seen someones status on facebook saying that if a room is less than 70 square foot it is classed as a boxroom therefore cannot be taxed as a bedroom. I just measured my spare room and it is 8ft 5 by 7ft 11 making it 66.6 square ft. I just checked the housing act 1985 and in section 326 it states that a room larger than 50 square ft but smaller than 70 square foot is for occupation of 1/2 a person so it is not a bedroom. I have not received a letter telling me that I have to pay the bedroom tax yet so maybe this has been taken into account but if I do receive one I will be quoting the housing act 1985 at them and seeing if I get anywhere. Hopefully I will be going back to work before this once I can find a job and sorting out childcare for my young daughter.

Hi jen8505, it has been mentioned several times on this forum, some good advice from this link regarding 50sqft-70sqft bedroom/boxroom.
My smallest bedroom/boxroom measures 55sqft, we should all challenge our HA


http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/02/

Thanks, just read back a few pages. Really cant be bothered going through all 26 pages though! I only moved here at the beginning of august as I was desperate to get out of a 1 bed first floor flat with my 15 month old at the time. I have spent so much time and money (with a lot of help from family) doing the whole house up and carpeting it that I do not want to move out but I can see me having to if I cant find work and I have to pay the underoccupation rates plus the council tax. It woukd work out as £15 a week for me which might not sound a lot but to a single mother with a child under 2, I cant afford to be losing that much. Fingers crossed I find something soon!

Just out of curiosity has everyone received their letters telling them how much they will need to pay? Its due to come in next month and I eould've thought we'd all have heard by now!

Remember this is NOT A TAX!!! it is a reduction in subsidies so nobody pays anything extra.The people affected will get less benefits they will not pay more tax.

Nevertheless people will still need to pay so need to be told how much they will need to pay so will receive a letter. I have heard of a lot of people getting letters weeks and even months ago and I have not received anything yet.

Quite...

I'd have gone to the march myself, if it wasn't for my pesky job.

knowing how they operate a bill will probably land on your door step in 4wks time and you'll be given 7 days to pay so work out how much rent you will have to pay now and then add 22% council tax

jen8505, i find it strange that your landlord has not informed you of any charges yet,i recieved my letter last year. Are wirral partnership homes your landlord? or are you in the private rented sector, if privately renting
you will not be affected.
I have been told by WPH that i will have to pay at least £21.40 per week, that amount was based on last years rent,if WPH increase their rent again this coming April, then the amount of bedroom tax i have to pay will also increase,
sorry jen i did not give you the direct link yesterday, this will now take you to the relevant info
http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/02/...isited-reclassifications-mutual-benefit/

im with a HA and i havnt been given a breakdown of what i have to pay yet, they called out last week just to make sure i had a bank account and the internet? but they didnt ask me for any details they just asked if i was going to pay or move? i guess they mean to a private landlord as they didnt offer me anywhere to move to!!

I spoke to soon in my previous posting regarding WPH increasing the rent, got a letter this morning, my rent will increase by a extra £5 from 1st April so my bedroom tax will also increase from £21.40 to £22.50, my god the way WPH are going on it wont be long before all of their older properties will be classed as affordable rents, rather than just the new builds, don’t they realise that people who are in low paid work cannot afford to pay AFFORDABLE RENTS, ie 80% of the market value, they should hold their heads in shame

I haven't received any letter saying what I have to pay but I did get the rent increase letter this morning too! My rent is going up £5 a week too

just work out 14% of your rent with the increase included, and you will then know how much you will have to pay per wk