Shower in their home

To pay extra to have a

SOME stories are so baffling, you have to read them over and over again.

One such headline – that Dundonians are being charged a “shower tax” – appeared in the Tele, as the paper and new editor Dave Lord spearheaded a campaign to abolish the charge.

It dates back to 2007, when the “tax” was paid by people who required showers to be fitted in their council properties – often for medical and mobility issues.

A decade on, it seems ridiculous the levy is still in place – sometimes charging up to £10 a week – and that it has gone largely under the radar.

No one is saying the council can or should cater for tenants’ every need for free.

A one-off charge might be appropriate for work creating something – rather than maintenance which should always be part of any rental package.

That said, you could argue tenants shouldn’t be placed in a home where they can’t do something as basic as wash – or if works are carried out to accommodate such needs, the council covers it.

Certainly in the former council homes that I visit to film Homes Under The Hammer – and there are many – seeing a step-in shower along with hand rails is standard where a previous resident had mobility issues.

But I have never heard mention of a tax for the privilege.

A one-off cost is one thing, but the weekly continuation of paying a tenner, which could buy necessities like food or heating, seems sneaky at best. Life is expensive. Levies exist for companies, cars, a meal out and watching TV – not for keeping yourself clean and healthy.

When it comes to the shower tax, there might be an explanation, in which case those affected are all ears. However, unless the council is filtering the purest mineral water from Icelandic glaciers to Fintry via the Ferry so tenants can get a good lather, I very much doubt it.

The Tele is campaigning to have the “tax” axed.