Tories U-turning over bedroom tax

The Tories are feeling the heat over the planned bedroom tax, which will penalise benefit claimants in social housing for having “too many” rooms.

Last week the Department for Work and Pensions was forced to backtrack over the 67,000 existing pensioner claimants who would have been affected.

And minister Iain Duncan Smith has promised to “look again” at plans to force disabled people to share rooms with partners or siblings.

Over 600,000 people could lose benefit money for extra rooms—including box rooms.

Many housing associations say they have no smaller properties for people to move into.

Over 150 people marched in Portsmouth to protest against the bedroom tax and cuts to disability benefits.

Housing workers at some London councils have voted not to evict those who run up rent arrears because of benefit cuts.

Campaigners in Southwark, south London, were set to protest against the attack on Wednesday of this week.

Protests round Britain are set for Saturday 16 March.

An alliance of campaigns and trade unions has called a summit to link up the fights for benefits justice in central London on Saturday 9 March.