Monday 18 March 2013

We could stop the Bedroom Tax if we Chose to. Here's how

It's funny, isn't it. Every one of the policies we oppose are easily defeated.

Abolishing Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disability Premiums, the Independent Living Fund.
The Bedroom Tax, Council Tax Cuts, Slashing tax credits for disabled children.
The feared and hated Employment Support Allowance, limiting it to just one year, Workfare.
NHS "reform" press abuse, energy profiteers, loan sharks, slave wages

In just an hour or two, we could get rid of the lot.

There are 65 million of us and 650 of them. We just have to say "Erm, no thanks."

"We didn't vote for this, sorry, now off you go and think again."

It really is as easy as that. (Other countries do it all the time, we just seem to have forgotten why we fought for democracy in the first place)

So. At the end of the comment section on THIS post : http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-human-story-behind-bedroom-tax.html
The last 4 or 5 comments (left by an "A Smith" - sorry efforts to trace unsuccessful **Update at end of post - if this has been posted elsewhere, I hope you'll forgive me) DO appear to give an excellent blueprint for destroying the Bedroom Tax.

Effectively, (and it IS vital you read the comments A Smith left if you want to really understand why I agree, I think this would work) councils will issue a "Benefit Decision Notice (BDM)" to say that you will be affected by the Bedroom Tax. 

The letter will describe how you can appeal. 

If everyone affected reads the comments A Smith left, writes back to their council asking them to explain/reconsider within 7 days

Then appeals within one month of the BDM

The system - and local council's ability to deal with the fallout - would come grinding to a halt. It simply could not function and would cost millions more than the tax will save. 

Again, to take part, it's crucial you read all of A Smith's shared reasoning and advice here in the comments thread, at the end : http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-human-story-behind-bedroom-tax.html

So, a quick click on the link above and 10 minutes to read the comments. 

Then, a letter, with stamp, once you get your BDM sent immediately. 

A further letter requesting an appeal (there is even a template you can use left by A Smith) SENT WITHIN ONE MONTH OF ORIGINAL BDM

That's it. All there is to it.

If all 660,000 people affected objected, then asked to go to appeal, the system would collapse.

All for the sake of a 10 minute read and 2 letters.

DWP estimate 200,000 people will lose their homes from this policy. 440,000 of those affected have disabilities.

We can accept it passively, or like the poll tax, we can say "Actually, no, I don't think so"

That's it. All there is to it.

So if you agree, share this post. Send it to friends you think might be affected. Email it. Help any vulnerable friends you have to take the simple action. The Bedroom Tax is a BIG deal on social media but do we want to moan about it or stop it? If we want to stop it, share this post and act.

The only thing allowing ALL of these policies to go forward, is our acceptance.


Aha! Thanks to the wonders of twitter, we've found the original post. It was on SPeye here http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/bedroom-tax-why-and-how-all-tenants-should-appeal-and-the-impact/ and author IS a housing advisor. 













19 comments:

  1. Tweeted it, g+ed it. I don't know anyone subject to it or I'd pass it to them direct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So so true Sue. With you all the way. I am fighting and resisting. Can't pay, won't pay

      Delete
  2. I was discussing that very thing the other day...how other countries say 'No thanks' en masse. I will share this excellent post. HMSx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Government keen to silence Twitter.Pity we can't silence them like a huge public vote of no confidence.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Certainly what I think may work - granted it seems the gov't is anticipating people working within rules and regs by bending the law and/or abolishing access or help to appeal; so on the one hand I'm hopeful, on the other hand I'm wondering what the government will do to try and circumvent people actually trying to follow the rules.

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  5. This is just camerons version of the poll tax. We can get this overturned really easily. I will be linking some affected family members to this and letting them know about it. Thanks for your efforts sue and A smith.

    ReplyDelete
  6. very true sue the trouble is that theirs also a lot of selfish people in the country with money and they plan to keep it that way and vote conservative in future'
    their called the squeezed middle and call the shots unfortunately

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have had your council tax benefit stopped
      and can't afford to pay your council tax -
      FIGHT IT. Don't pay. This is crucial. Yes, we
      know the line - court, a court fine (£50) and
      subsequent deduction from Employment Support
      Allowance. But this is their blackmail, their
      bullying, and it is all the more reason to fight
      it. Everyone has to do it. It's crucial if it is to work. It's the most insidious form of bullying. They don't even give you chance to appeal this one. Don't pay - PASS IT ON. Join
      coalitionofresistance.co.uk. Make this the catalyst. Let's start resistance to this in every part of the country. We are living in
      penury already - we cannot take any more.
      Same for the Bedroom Tax. Fight it. As Sue said,
      EVERYONE appeal, using A. Smith's template.
      PLEASE PLEASE DO. We know Osborne thinks we aren't, but we are worth it.
      Coalition of Resistance is mushrooming and is meeting in London in November to form a Peoples'
      Assembly - Ken Loach is involved. It's a general
      movement to oppose austerity as Labour aren't
      opposing effectively or forcefully. Don't let it
      be a group of the usual suspects. Calls are out to everyone to join and fight. If you can't go
      on demos etc. you can fight by resisting as above. Get coalition of resistance to fight our
      corner. Solidarity is all. This could be our only chance. Please do.

      Delete
    2. I'm sorry. Coalition of Resistance is meeting in London in JUNE, not November, to form a Peoples' Assembly. Please let them have mass, mass membership by then. John McDonnell MP is a member, and a few other leftwing Labour MPs. They have big support from the unions. We need the unions in our fight.

      Delete
  7. Well sigh its amazing the sense of entitlement people on benefit have despite a lot of them never having contributed in the first place so hence it aint their money!! How can someone get a tidy sum every fortnight for doing nothing and never have done anything to contribute in their life? Having kids aint an excuse!

    That housing association in the media got it spot on when it said oh diddums you have to pay a spare room subsidy to chill out in, maybe then you might have to smoke one less pack of cigs a week or downgrade your sky package to pay it. Can you see hearts bleeding for your struggle? Even Sky admit a large proportion of their income comes from people on benefit.

    ESA at over a hundred quid a week aint a bad gig is it for doing nothing? A lot of jobs dont pay that so no wonder you are desperate to stay on ESA. Then you moan oh but I have to pay gas, electric, food!! Well sherlock working people on no benefit have to pay that too, if you hadnt figured that one out.

    Welfare reform dont go far enough. It is now a business in itself to live off it and millions do easily which was never its intention. I swear if people put as much effort working as they do in filling in benefit forms and looking for ways to get free money they havent earned this country would be dangerous. Its no wonder countries with no welfare system are booming. Welfare is a country killer.

    Got some excellent facts below which blow the myth of poverty and welfare out the water.

    ***

    Welfare spending has almost doubled in the past ten years, (£59b in 2000 to £115b in 2012) something which cannot be sustained nor defended.

    http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/spending_chart_2000_2015UKb_12c1li111mcn_40t

    Read it and you’ll understand why we simply must cap the welfare budget and get people off their backsides and into work.

    http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/

    An uncomfortable truth for benefit lovers!

    The UK spends almost twice as much on disability benefits than other nations.

    The average among the 34 OECD members – all industrialised states – is 1.3 per cent

    The OECD figures show that Britain spends 2.4 per cent of national output on thebenefit – more than France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

    This is 6 times more than Japan!

    and…

    The study found that the share of British GDP spent on disability soared by a third between 2005 and 2009. Elsewhere spending was almost flat in the same period.

    Incredibly, we still have a vocal minority who can only be described as scrounging scumbags who complain about reforms to the sickness benefit system. Perhaps they might like to emigrate although the OECD report suggests they’d be hard-pressed to find a more generous country than the UK to sponge in!

    That’s not the end of it either.

    Sickness and disability made up 12 per cent of UK social spending. The average across the OECD is 9.2 per cent.

    As Esther McVey rightly says

    The UK continues to be a world leader in the rights for disabled people.

    Listening to the vile extremists though you’d think the opposite was true!

    ***

    ReplyDelete
  8. The fightback begins! Great idea, blogged.


    ReplyDelete
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