Mark Pawsey MP for Rugby who asked Tax Payers to pay £80 towards his heating bills
as people face eviction due to the cruel Bedroom Tax
Dear
Mark,
On
Tuesday, 12th November, all MP’s can vote on the need to scrap
the Bedroom Tax.
Nearly 900 households in Rugby, including many people
struggling on low wages, and/or disabled people , have been hit by one of
the most uncaring acts of the Tory and Lib Dem Government, by cutting
from 14% to 25% of the Housing benefit contribution to keeping their home.
It’s
not a "life style choice" to be chronically sick or disabled, and
it’s not a matter of choice to be one of the estimated 4.8 million
Britons (20% of all employees) working below a living wage of £7.20 per hour,
and so needing to claim housing benefit to keep a roof over their head.
Mr Pawsey, the Bedroom Tax was rushed through in the
knowledge that the supply of smaller accommodation needed ( without the so
called luxury of a spare room) , does not exist in reality.
The tax makes the poor bear our public financial
burden, and will not achieve redistribution of public housing.
It seems to many of us in the Green Party that the sick,
disabled and low paid are still being made to pay most heavily for the British
bankers' gambling debts ; in stark contrast to the proposed ill timed and
unjustifiable big pay rise for MP’s. Rugby people will also
note the £80 you personally got paid as an allowance to cut your own
heating bill.
Also, before you try to claim that the Government has
provided a cushion fund for councils, it would be only fair for you to admit
that any possible grants in this small fund can only be one-off, only last up
to 3 months , and are very much discretionary – so little help in
reality!
The
Green Party- led Brighton & Hove Council has a "no eviction
policy" for their tenants who are thrown into arrears by this tax,
and you may be interested to know that we persuaded both Tory and
Labour Councillors to vote for our stance in Brighton.
Rugby
Green Party will be writing to the leaders of the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems
on Rugby Council to ask them to follow Brighton's position, and stand up
for the most vulnerable people in Rugby.
A growing numbers of other Councils have now followed
Brighton's lead, and are gaining support from more politically aware Tory
Councillors who have come out against the Bedroom Tax, and want to see it
scrapped.
Rugby
Green Party have also provided a Facebook site ’Rugby Against the Bedroom Tax -
Protest and Advice’ for current information, and have produced a guide to
appealing against the tax, by using definition of a bedroom including
the room size limits, the need for a room for a disabled person to store
equipment, when and if it is a good idea to take a lodger in. Also how to
claim for the 3 month additional housing support.
Mr Pawsey, do you want to prevent sick and disabled tenants
from living (and in some cases ending their lives) in inadequate
rented housing, or even living rough on the streets of our town?
Rugby
is a marginal seat; if you really believe that voting to keep the Bedroom
Tax would be a sensible way to proceed, you will not only be acting in an
uncaring manner, but also will likely lose your seat at the next
election.
The people
of Rugby care about our neighbours and friends and we trust that you
will vote to scrap the Bedroom Tax.
Regards
Peter
Reynolds
Chairperson - Rugby Green Party
|
Monday 11 November 2013
Rugby Greens calls on Pawsey to vote against cruel Bedroom Tax
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well done peter, I think you speak for us all.
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