|
Worth remembering as well, that this isn't a single change in their income. They're being hit by a raft of cuts and rises. Cuts to income, benefits and access to services, rising taxes and rents. All in one fell swoop.
The ones who will suffer most are those currently with disabilities or caring responsibilities. Because their carer benefits are also being cut.
In London, I can see an argument for the low occupancy measures. Don't agree, but can see the argument. But in the North, this does not make sense at all.
We are willfully creating a homelessness problem. Rough sleeping is already up by about 20% before this latest measure.
The politicians say: well, people will just have to work an extra few hours. Except most people these days don't have access to overtime or extra hours. Certainly, most of the people affected by this will not be in those kinds of jobs.
At the same time, they're cutting the levels of help for families where only one person works, or where work is only parttime (fuck you single parents!).
The unseen cost is staggering. What does it cost society when children are wrenched from schools in which they are settled, moved halfway across the country, or living in hostels because they've been evicted? How are schools in low rent areas going to cope with the massive hike in numbers?
How many divorced parents are no longer going to be able to split the care of their children between them because the room at Dad's house is considered 'spare' despite the fact a child lives there every other week?
If it saved money I would have more sympathy with this scheme. But all the recent reports and studies seem to show that the governments estimates of saving are fantasy and this will end up costing the country millions.
We, the tax payer, are going to pay through the nose in order to make these people suffer.
|