The post you are reporting:
We received a letter today telling us that our Housing Benefit IS going to be cut by 14% in April and 25% if my 23yr old son leaves home in the future. It goes on to say that we will lose our home if we can't find the additional money to cover our rent.
Our options are as follows:_
1, Move to smaller property.
2, Find a job or bring more wages into the household.
3, Ask someone else living in the property to help me pay the rent.
4, Ask someone living outside the property to help me pay the rent.
5, Take in a Lodger.
6, Stay in property but not sure how I will pay the shortfall.
7, Cut down on my spending and find the extra money to pay my rent.
8 Other, please detail.
I visited Housing Benefit today, mainly because nowhere on this form or in the information letter does it mention disabled claimants or whether this affects disabled claimants.Except for where it states disabled who need a spare room for a carer who does not live with them, subject to change?
The first thing that the officer told us was not to shoot the messenger.
This government has decided that these new measures do not warrant differentiating abled and disabled, these cuts apply to all, en-bloc.
He went on to tell us that he could pre-empt all our questions, as he had already received the same questions from over 50 disabled claimants.
He had previously (yesterday) sort clarification from his bosses as to why there is no mention of disabled, believing that they were not included in these new reforms but he was informed that this government is making no distinctions, with no exemptions for the disabled.
After going through my options with him.
IE.
1, Do they have a smaller disabled adapted premises for us to move into?
Answer - NO
2, Provide us with a carer so I can return to work?
Answer - NO
3, My son is seeking work but un-employed and already paying what he can.
4, Who should I ask to help me pay my rent?
Answer - I don't know
5, Take in a lodger.
Answer- No you are a council tenant and cannot take in lodgers.
6, My only option.
7, Done that, got the tee-shirt.
8, Other-Rent & rates increased this year along with food, fuel, utilities and our entire cost of living.
No increase in pension, frozen for 3 years, probably none or very little increase in benefits and facing losing DLA under the present attack on the disabled.
Did he have any suggestions?
Answer - NO.
He then went to see if anything had change since yesterday and he came back saying that Disabled adapted house's would not be exempt but would be allowed to apply for exemption, after deductions had been made, subject to change.
I have to commend and thank the Benefits Officer that we spoke to, he was very helpful and polite, was straight forward and honest and is coping well with a difficult situation.
I certainly do not envy him or other benefits officer's in their work for the next couple of months.