Carers’ bedroom tax victory (From Swindon Advertiser)

Carers’ bedroom tax victory

6:30pm Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News

THE Government has said foster carers will be exempt from controversial welfare changes following concern in Swindon and elsewhere that it would deter people in social rented homes from fostering children.

Earlier this month, Swindon Council’s Labour group and local foster carers raised concerns that potential foster carers would be put off by the so-called ‘bedroom-tax’, which will affect 1,180 council tenants and 520 housing association tenants next month.

Social housing tenants deemed to have one ‘spare’ bedroom will lose 14 per cent of their housing benefit (on average £11 to £12 per week) and those with two or more spare bedrooms will lose 25 per cent (on average £21.81 per week).

But work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the government would introduce regulations to “clarify” the impact on foster carers and forces families.

He said the 5,000 approved foster carers in the UK would continue to receive rent payments towards an “additional room” as long as they had fostered a child or become an approved foster carer in the previous 12 months.