By Mike Luff, Bristol Socialist Party
'No eviction' for bedroom tax victims is now the official policy of Bristol City Council.
All four parties - Labour, Greens, Tories and Lib Dems - and the Mayor gave full support to a 'no eviction' resolution at Bristol council's full meeting on Tuesday 18th June.
All the councillors also called on mayor Ferguson to review the definition of a bedroom, reclassify box rooms, downstairs rooms and small bedrooms - which he agreed.
We have had two demonstrations and local meetings across the city, building opposition to the bedroom tax.
There will now be a working group of councillors who will look at the details of the new policy, so our campaign will continue.
Tom Baldwin (mayoral candidate last year for TUSC - the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) spoke at the council meeting on behalf of the Bristol and District AntiCuts Alliance.
His call to stop any evictions whether by the council or social housing organisations and for a house building programme, was supported by the full public gallery.
The mayor and councillors also supported the resolution calling for the building of social and affordable homes.
This could be paid for by the government lifting the borrowing restrictions on the housing revenue account.
However, their only weapon to change the government's mind was in having a directly elected mayor! While the councillors are keen to promote 'localism', there was no mention of building a city-wide mass campaign to fight for more housing and against the cuts.
They seemed to be suffering from mass amnesia, forgetting that it is their parties' policies which introduced and maintained these financial restrictions that have decimated council housing.
We can't trust councillors who have shown no opposition to other cuts, with over 300 local authority job losses as part of a 9% budget cut, including the eviction of old people from their residential homes.
There is the prospect of similar cuts for the coming year. We will be vigilant, hold them to their promise, organise to prevent evictions if they happen, and we will keep up the fight against all cuts.
Showing posts with label Bedroom Tax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bedroom Tax. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Saturday, 15 June 2013
Lawrence Hill Anti-Bedroom Tax Meeting - Thursday 20 June 7.30pm
Thursday 20 June
7.30pm
Barton Hill Settlement, Ducie Road, Barton Hill
Social housing tenants deemed by the government to have a spare room are having their Housing Benefit docked by 14% for one spare room & 25% for two or more. Even if there is no alternative accommodation available or their personal circumstances mean that the spare room is needed.
Come and join us at Barton Hill Settlement for the latest in a series of local meetings sponsored by Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance. We are aiming to bring together tenants and supporters to talk about how we fight back and defeat this cruel tax.
We demand that:
* David Cameron and Nick Clegg withdraw the tax immediately and refund any payments made!
* The mayor and housing associations do not evict anyone in arrears because of the Bedroom Tax or other attacks on welfare!
* The council & the government fund a council house building programme to provide homes & jobs for local people!
Also coming up on 18th June: Lobby of Bristol City Council as they vote on a motion opposing Bedroom Tax evictions. For more click here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/646975571982760/
Friday, 31 May 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Stop the cruel, ruthless bedroom tax!
From: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/16669/13-05-2013/stop-the-cruel-ruthless-bedroom-tax
On Sunday 12 May the Sunday People broke the tragic story of the suicide of a 53 year old woman, Stephanie Bottrill, who killed herself because of the bedroom tax.
In a letter to her son she explained what had pushed her over the edge: "Don't blame yourself for me ending my life. The only people to blame are the government."
Because of the Con-Dems' bedroom tax Stephanie was told she would lose £20 a week from her housing benefit.
Struggling to make ends meet, subsisting on tinned custard, it is reported that she told neighbours: "I can't afford to live anymore."
This is a tragedy made in Westminster by a government that wants to make working class people pay for the crisis of the bankers, the super-rich and the capitalist system they represent.
Her neighbour said: "There's no way Stephanie is going to be the last to die because of this bedroom tax.
"She's not going to be the only one" (for more about this horrific story, see Mirror article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-suicide-grieving-son-1886058 )
Hannah Sell, deputy general secretary of the SocialistParty, said:
"The Socialist Party is utterly opposed to the bedroom tax and to all the government's austerity measures. We reject any attempt to make the working class pay for the crisis of the capitalist system.
"Labour has been attempting to present itself as opposing the bedroom tax but Ed Miliband could not bring himself to pledge that a future Labour government would repeal it. In Cardiff and Aberdeen councils Labour voted down motions against evictions.
"As well as dire misery for those affected, the bedroom tax has unleashed a fury - it is seen as totally unfair.
"What's more is that people all over the country are starting to organise themselves to stop it. The Socialist Party is part of this and is calling on councils to immediately refuse to evict and to refuse to implement the Tories' murderous policy.
"But we have no faith in any of the main political parties to make such a clear stand on the side of ordinary people - tied as they are to the 1% super-rich.
"The Socialist Party is part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition which is calling for 'no cuts' candidates to stand in elections to give a voice to the millions who oppose the government's misery measures".
On Sunday 12 May the Sunday People broke the tragic story of the suicide of a 53 year old woman, Stephanie Bottrill, who killed herself because of the bedroom tax.
In a letter to her son she explained what had pushed her over the edge: "Don't blame yourself for me ending my life. The only people to blame are the government."
Because of the Con-Dems' bedroom tax Stephanie was told she would lose £20 a week from her housing benefit.
Struggling to make ends meet, subsisting on tinned custard, it is reported that she told neighbours: "I can't afford to live anymore."
This is a tragedy made in Westminster by a government that wants to make working class people pay for the crisis of the bankers, the super-rich and the capitalist system they represent.
Her neighbour said: "There's no way Stephanie is going to be the last to die because of this bedroom tax.
"She's not going to be the only one" (for more about this horrific story, see Mirror article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-suicide-grieving-son-1886058 )
Hannah Sell, deputy general secretary of the SocialistParty, said:
"The Socialist Party is utterly opposed to the bedroom tax and to all the government's austerity measures. We reject any attempt to make the working class pay for the crisis of the capitalist system.
"Labour has been attempting to present itself as opposing the bedroom tax but Ed Miliband could not bring himself to pledge that a future Labour government would repeal it. In Cardiff and Aberdeen councils Labour voted down motions against evictions.
"As well as dire misery for those affected, the bedroom tax has unleashed a fury - it is seen as totally unfair.
"What's more is that people all over the country are starting to organise themselves to stop it. The Socialist Party is part of this and is calling on councils to immediately refuse to evict and to refuse to implement the Tories' murderous policy.
"But we have no faith in any of the main political parties to make such a clear stand on the side of ordinary people - tied as they are to the 1% super-rich.
"The Socialist Party is part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition which is calling for 'no cuts' candidates to stand in elections to give a voice to the millions who oppose the government's misery measures".
Friday, 5 April 2013
Report from TUSC Lawrence Hill Bedroom Tax Meeting
More pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.586070454738084.1073741826.201278053217328&type=1
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
TUSC Public meeting tomorrow at Barton Hill Settlement - Bin the Bedtoom Tax
TUSC Public Meeting - Bin the Bedroom Tax!
Thursday 4th April 2013
7.30m
Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, BS5 0AX
Fiona Joyce, TUSC candidate for Lawrence Hill in the May council elections will be speaking among others. All welcome!
Axe the bedroom tax!
By Mary Jackson , TUSC mayoral candidate, Doncaster
Around Britain, there have already been many protests against the so-called 'Bedroom Tax'. This is one of the coalition's most blatantly anti-poor policies and it will certainly be even more hated when it comes in on 1 April.
David Cameron and his multi-millionaire family have four homes, mansions in reality. Tory welfare minister David Freud, who is bringing in this law, owns an eight-bedroom mansion and a £1.9 million London home. These well-housed millionaires want council house and housing association tenants to lose 14% of their housing benefit if they're deemed to have one spare room, 25% if they have two.
We think that 4,822 households in Doncaster will be hit by this spiteful tax, over 3,000 of them with at least one disabled person. The bedroom tax will hit the poorest, low-paid workers, sick, disabled people, pensioners and the unemployed. The government says people should move in to smaller properties but they haven't done their sums.
In Doncaster, it would take an estimated 16 years to re-house those affected... but only if no other households move into that category, if no grown up children leave home, no one dies, no one joins the army. This can only lead to increasing poverty.
Many people just 'can't pay'. Doncaster, like many other areas, already has mass unemployment and deprivation. With 11,521 people on the waiting list for social housing there is a crying need for affordable housing. Rents must be capped, not benefits. We need a massive council house-building programme which will create much needed jobs and would actually cut the housing benefit bill.
There are things councils can do. There's a huge pot of money from the sale of council houses. Ring-fenced, because of legislation brought in by Margaret Thatcher and not repealed during three terms of a Labour government. And nationalising the banking system under democratic workers' control would free up more resources.
I am standing in an election to be Mayor of Doncaster. One of the first things I will do if elected is to look at a legal challenge to release this money to build the houses needed.
But what we need most of all is a campaigning policy of mass resistance. As with the battle that brought down the poll tax it will need organisation to ensure that no tenant is evicted just because she or he is poor and to convince councillors they should refuse to implement the tax, or replace them with those who will fight instead for a mass house-building policy to meet the needs of the people.
Around Britain, there have already been many protests against the so-called 'Bedroom Tax'. This is one of the coalition's most blatantly anti-poor policies and it will certainly be even more hated when it comes in on 1 April.
David Cameron and his multi-millionaire family have four homes, mansions in reality. Tory welfare minister David Freud, who is bringing in this law, owns an eight-bedroom mansion and a £1.9 million London home. These well-housed millionaires want council house and housing association tenants to lose 14% of their housing benefit if they're deemed to have one spare room, 25% if they have two.
We think that 4,822 households in Doncaster will be hit by this spiteful tax, over 3,000 of them with at least one disabled person. The bedroom tax will hit the poorest, low-paid workers, sick, disabled people, pensioners and the unemployed. The government says people should move in to smaller properties but they haven't done their sums.
In Doncaster, it would take an estimated 16 years to re-house those affected... but only if no other households move into that category, if no grown up children leave home, no one dies, no one joins the army. This can only lead to increasing poverty.
Many people just 'can't pay'. Doncaster, like many other areas, already has mass unemployment and deprivation. With 11,521 people on the waiting list for social housing there is a crying need for affordable housing. Rents must be capped, not benefits. We need a massive council house-building programme which will create much needed jobs and would actually cut the housing benefit bill.
There are things councils can do. There's a huge pot of money from the sale of council houses. Ring-fenced, because of legislation brought in by Margaret Thatcher and not repealed during three terms of a Labour government. And nationalising the banking system under democratic workers' control would free up more resources.
I am standing in an election to be Mayor of Doncaster. One of the first things I will do if elected is to look at a legal challenge to release this money to build the houses needed.
But what we need most of all is a campaigning policy of mass resistance. As with the battle that brought down the poll tax it will need organisation to ensure that no tenant is evicted just because she or he is poor and to convince councillors they should refuse to implement the tax, or replace them with those who will fight instead for a mass house-building policy to meet the needs of the people.
Monday, 18 March 2013
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