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| Housing benefits: Changes 'see 6% of tenants move' | Housing benefits: Changes 'see 6% of tenants move' |
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| About 6% of social housing tenants in Britain affected by changes to benefits partly designed to cut under-occupancy have moved home, BBC research suggests. | About 6% of social housing tenants in Britain affected by changes to benefits partly designed to cut under-occupancy have moved home, BBC research suggests. |
| Ministers claim the policy - dubbed a bedroom tax by critics - frees up big homes and saves the taxpayer £1m a day. | |
| Employment Minister Esther McVey said the government was "on track" to reach its target of 30% by 2017. | |
| Shadow employment minister Stephen Timms said the policy had been a "disaster" and should be scrapped. | |
| 'In arrears' | |
| BBC analysis of the data from social housing providers also suggested 28% of affected tenants were in rent arrears for the first time in the past 12 months. | |
| But Ms McVey disputed this figure, saying feedback from local authorities and the National Housing Federation had found an "indiscernible number" of tenants were in arrears. | But Ms McVey disputed this figure, saying feedback from local authorities and the National Housing Federation had found an "indiscernible number" of tenants were in arrears. |
| She said 50% were already in arrears before the policy was brought in. | |
| Among the benefits changes introduced on 1 April 2013 was the removal of what ministers called the "spare room subsidy" - social housing tenants deemed to have one spare bedroom have had their housing benefit reduced by 14%. Those with two or more spare bedrooms had reductions of 25%. | Among the benefits changes introduced on 1 April 2013 was the removal of what ministers called the "spare room subsidy" - social housing tenants deemed to have one spare bedroom have had their housing benefit reduced by 14%. Those with two or more spare bedrooms had reductions of 25%. |
| Labour dubbed the change a "bedroom tax" and has promised to scrap it if it wins the next election. | |
| 'Two aims' | 'Two aims' |
| The government had argued there were two reasons for cutting housing benefit for those of working age living in social housing with spare bedrooms - to reduce the benefits bill and to help the 300,000 people living in overcrowded accommodation. | The government had argued there were two reasons for cutting housing benefit for those of working age living in social housing with spare bedrooms - to reduce the benefits bill and to help the 300,000 people living in overcrowded accommodation. |
| But the BBC research - involving 331 social housing providers across England, Scotland and Wales with Freedom of Information requests submitted to councils and surveys of housing associations - found just under 6% of tenants whose benefit was cut had moved house. | But the BBC research - involving 331 social housing providers across England, Scotland and Wales with Freedom of Information requests submitted to councils and surveys of housing associations - found just under 6% of tenants whose benefit was cut had moved house. |
| Ms McVey denied 6% was "a failure", adding that the government's own research had indicated more than 8% had moved. | |
| "There has been 30,000 people plus moving in the last 10 or 11 months," she said. | |
| "We were expecting over four or five years for maybe 30% of people to move so it shows really that we are on track." | |
| Prof Rebecca Tunstall, director of the centre for housing policy at the University of York, said: "There were two major aims to this policy - one was to encourage people to move, and the other was to save money for the government in housing benefit payments. | Prof Rebecca Tunstall, director of the centre for housing policy at the University of York, said: "There were two major aims to this policy - one was to encourage people to move, and the other was to save money for the government in housing benefit payments. |
| "But those two aims are mutually exclusive. The government has achieved one to a greater extent and the other to a lesser extent." | "But those two aims are mutually exclusive. The government has achieved one to a greater extent and the other to a lesser extent." |
| Download the raw data | Download the raw data |
| Affected tenants who had not moved were being forced to make up the shortfall in their income, leading to extra pressure being placed on them to make ends meet, said Prof Tunstall. | Affected tenants who had not moved were being forced to make up the shortfall in their income, leading to extra pressure being placed on them to make ends meet, said Prof Tunstall. |
| Asked if the policy had proved successful, she added: "To some extent it's achieved some of its aims. It's achieved an aim of making a saving in housing benefit for national government, probably slightly less than they'd originally hoped for. | Asked if the policy had proved successful, she added: "To some extent it's achieved some of its aims. It's achieved an aim of making a saving in housing benefit for national government, probably slightly less than they'd originally hoped for. |
| "But there are other knock-on costs. There's a social cost for tenants and a cost of having less efficient and fewer new homes. And you can imagine that those costs can start to mount up. | "But there are other knock-on costs. There's a social cost for tenants and a cost of having less efficient and fewer new homes. And you can imagine that those costs can start to mount up. |
| She said that while tenants in arrears could have been in debt for other reasons, the fact remains that there is "new debt for local authorities and that means fewer pounds to go round to spend on improvements for others". | She said that while tenants in arrears could have been in debt for other reasons, the fact remains that there is "new debt for local authorities and that means fewer pounds to go round to spend on improvements for others". |
| Carl Mitchell, assistant director of Riverside Housing Association, based in Hull, said the service had noticed an impact in the past 12 months. | Carl Mitchell, assistant director of Riverside Housing Association, based in Hull, said the service had noticed an impact in the past 12 months. |
| He said: "Approximately two thirds of all tenants affected by the bedroom tax essentially struggle to pay the rent and associated bills. | He said: "Approximately two thirds of all tenants affected by the bedroom tax essentially struggle to pay the rent and associated bills. |
| "So by default that usually means that people are ether falling into rent arrears or having to compromise on other things such as fuel costs and the cost of living in respect of food. So there's a knock on effect elsewhere, it's not just rent arrears. | "So by default that usually means that people are ether falling into rent arrears or having to compromise on other things such as fuel costs and the cost of living in respect of food. So there's a knock on effect elsewhere, it's not just rent arrears. |
| "From Riverside as a service, the lack of income coming in does mean it impacts on the new build properties that we have to build, and services that we offer to tenants." | "From Riverside as a service, the lack of income coming in does mean it impacts on the new build properties that we have to build, and services that we offer to tenants." |
| Shadow employment minister Mr Timms said the policy had been a waste of money. | |
| "Eviction is a very costly thing because they will have to be re-housed somewhere at the expense of the state. And that's another reason why it's very likely it's going to end up costing more than it saved," he told the BBC. | |
| "It's been a disaster, it should be scrapped and if this government doesn't scrap it then the next Labour government certainly will." | |
| But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: "It was absolutely necessary that we fixed the broken system which just a year ago allowed the taxpayer to cover the £1m daily cost of spare rooms in social housing. | But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: "It was absolutely necessary that we fixed the broken system which just a year ago allowed the taxpayer to cover the £1m daily cost of spare rooms in social housing. |
| "We have taken action to help the hundreds of thousands of people living in cramped, overcrowded accommodation and to control the spiralling housing benefit bill, as part of the government's long-term economic plan." | "We have taken action to help the hundreds of thousands of people living in cramped, overcrowded accommodation and to control the spiralling housing benefit bill, as part of the government's long-term economic plan." |