The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Clegg’s‘bedroom tax’hint
DEPUTY PRIME Minister Nick Clegg has signalled that the UK Government will agree to Scottish Government demands which will effectively put an end to the so-called bedroom tax north of the border.
The SNP administration had requested that a cap on payments which can be used by councils to support tenants affected by the housing benefit change be lifted, allowing it to fully mitigate its impact.
Mr Clegg’s comments came as Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the “bedroom tax” should be scrapped because it is not working as intended.
Both leaders are in A berdeen for the Scottish party’s spring conference.
Mr Clegg said: “I actually strongly agree that, of course, a policy like this needs to be kept under constant review and should, of course, be amended and changed as things go along.
“There are some changes that we can deliver in this coalition Government and, frankly, there are some that the Liberal Democrats can’t because of the Conservatives.”
The spare room subsidy, involves cutting housing benefit from social housing tenants with spare rooms. Councils can make discretionary housing payments (DHPs) to those tenants who are at risk of falling behind in rent and getting into debt as a result of the change.
The Scottish Government says UK Department for Work and Pensions rules mean it is constrained in what it can spend on DHPs, and it has written to the UK Government requesting that the cap is lifted.
Mr Clegg said: “I am confirming there will be an announcement from the coalition Government in dealing with this issue of the cap that in effect prevents Scottish local councils from using the money as freely as they wish.”
Earlier, when asked during a BBC interview if the “tax” should go, Mr Rennie said: “I don’t think it should stay.”
He said: “The principle behind (the spare room subsidy) I can understand but, to be honest, I don’t think it is working as it was intended and I think it should just go, and it should go quickly.”