Hope small Highland communities could be exempt from Bedroom Tax

Hopes that some parts of the Highlands, which have a population of less than 3,000 people, could win exemptions from the controversial "bedroom tax" have emerged.

An influential Westminster committee has recommended that the spare room subsidy should be lifted in rural areas in settlements of less than 3,000 residents, which has been welcomed by two senior Highland councillors.

Highland Council - which has a chronic shortage of smaller one and two-bedroom properties for tenants seeking to escape the income slash of up to 25 per cent - could be a rural authority which qualifies.

Councillors will be asked next week whether they should lobby the welfare reform minister Lord Freud on potential exemptions after the key recommendation from the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee was made.

Dawson Lamont, the council’s head of exchequer and revenues, said financial support for people hit by the bedroom tax and other benefit changes is uncertain after March next year so exemptions could possibly temper the position but warned intensive lobbying had already been carried out.

The UK Government announced last month the council would receive an extra £771,009 in discretionary housing payments from an initial £216,106 award, but there has been no commitment the extra cash will be available after the financial year ends next March.

"Obviously we are pleased to have that contribution," said Mr Lamont. "It is against that background that the council is basically looking for some kind of longer-term security. The alternative is to make exemptions.

"The spare room subsidy does not fit comfortably in the Highland context, there are issues about the availability of homes for people to downsize into.

"That is not something that is going to be solved overnight."

Lib Dem councillor Alasdair Christie, the authority’s welfare reform group chairman, said it was an avenue he was keen to explore because the bedroom tax threatened fragile, rural communities.

"We have got to use all our lobbying power," he said.

"We need central government to realise that a policy like the bedroom tax, there is no alternative accommodation, and it can lead to the break up of these communities and make people move away."

The opposition’s housing spokeswoman, Councillor Helen Carmichael, urged the authority’s SNP/Lib Dem/Labour administration to investigate the recommendation.

"I think that would be terrific and I would like to see us take it on at the highest level," said the Independent, ahead of the council’s finance, housing and resources committee, tomorrow (Wednesday).

Meanwhile, figures have revealed 1,800 Highland adults and children were fed by a foodbank from January, with benefit problems, including the welfare reform shake-up, blamed for the total.

A REPORT to the finance committee found that 1,293 men and woman, plus 503 children, were fed by the Highland Foodbank, between January and 21st June.

The top two reasons why food vouchers were issued to claimants were because of benefit payment delays or welfare reform.

The foodbank’s latest statistics has reported a total of 2,335 people have now been helped - an increase of seven per cent compared to last year.

Most of the foodbank recipients are in the Inverness area but the foodbank, which was established by the Blythswood Care charity, also delivers food boxes to Caithness, Sutherland, Easter Ross, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

A three-day supply of food, with suggested nutritious recipes to help people make best use of the goods, is provided so they have "breathing space" to stabilise their finances.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.