"Bedroom tax" will cost 1,000 households more than £1,000 each year (From Harrow Times)

Low income families to lose more than £1,000 each year according to Harrow West MP

9:10am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News By Jaber Mohamed

"Bedroom tax" will cost 1,000 households more than £1,000 each year

Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas says the new “bedroom tax” will cost 1,000 low income households in the borough more than £1,000 a year.

The MP claims National Housing Federation figures show the Government’s Discretionary Housing Payments fund, will cost each affected home an average of £1,092 per year.

Under reforms to be introduced in April, council or housing association tenants will have their benefits cut if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom.

From April 1 those with one spare room will lose 14 per cent of their housing benefit and those with two or more will lose 25 per cent.

Figures show 389 claimants in Harrow East, 368 in Harrow West and 600 in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner will be hit by the bedroom tax, and Mr Thomas believes two thirds of all the affected homes will belong to someone with a disability, including foster families and families of soldiers serving overseas.