We reproduce below a letter from Newcastle council, received by a tenant who wished to remain anonymous. The direction of the letter is quite clear. The council has been granted extra funding for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). It is directing these DHPs to tenants who have appealed against bedroom tax decisions and are suggesting that they reconsider their benefit tribunal appeals, even enclosing a form to withdraw from the appeals process. This is a bribe.
This is clearly an attempt to buy off tenants and stop them from costing the council time, effort and money in dealing with benefit tribunal appeals.
On 25 February, FRFI supporters met with Stephen Savage, Director of Regulatory Services and Public Protection, to discuss the manner in which the bedroom tax has been implemented in Newcastle. We raised this letter with its clear implications. Savage responded, ‘I don’t know anything about that’ and said that he would look into the problem. We have given him the deadline of one week to provide a response.
