Nearly half of Dundee’s tenants affected by the so-called bedroom tax have been pushed into arrears since the measure was introduced, making it the sixth worst affected area in Britain.
According to a new report, of the 2,118 Dundee tenants affected by the spare room subsidy 49% have now fallen into arrears, unable to keep up with their rent payments.
That figure also means that Dundee is the second worst affected local authority area in Scotland after Clackmannanshire, where 67% of tenants are now in arrears since the controversial policy was introduced on April 1.
The subsidy reduces council housing and housing association tenants’ housing benefit if they are deemed to have a “spare” bedroom at the rate of 14% or 25%, depending on the number of spare rooms.
Dundee’s housing convener John Alexander yesterday condemned the new figures.
“It’s tenants at the lower end of the income spectrum and, in particular those with a disability, suffering,” he said.
Mr Alexander said the SNP administration in Dundee was doing as much as it could to mitigate the effects of the spare room subsidy.
“As a council we’ve taken decisive action and pushed our powers to do as much as we possibly can, such as topping up discretionary housing payments.
“We’ve got well-trained welfare teams, we’ve been sign-posting tenants to voluntary organisations, we’ve written out to tenants a number of times. We are giving help in kind with moving assistance.”
However, he said a lot of the rooms deemed “spare” under the policy are used for a specific purpose.
“I’ve had constituents coming to me with terminal cancer who need a spare room for their wife,” he said.
“We are all as councillors seeing these harrowing stories, regardless of political party.”
He said Dundee City Council was having to deal with a Westminster-led initiative.
“We are really picking up the pieces of a policy set in London, an agenda not set for Scotland but the south east of England and that’s what this ‘solution’ is for,” he said.
“We are still hoping that the Tories see the light and agree with us, with Shelter, with the UN.”
Kevin Keenan, leader of the Labour Party in Dundee, agreed the city’s ranking demonstrated how much local people were suffering.
“I think it’s a league table that no one can be proud of,” he said.
“It gives an indication that people are struggling in Dundee. The fact that we are among the worst demonstrates that Dundee needs jobs. Rent arrears are at around £21,000 a week.”
Mr Keenan urged tenants facing the prospect of falling into arrears to seek help.
“I would encourage people to do everything they can to speak to the council and get advice on how to budget,” he said.