Last night we held a meeting in Hillfields, we had many people from the community attend. One person stood up and told us how he will soon become homeless, please watch Mr Hussein’s story and share.
Campaign Update
The Coventry Against the Bedroom Tax campaign is gathering pace rapidly. Over three consecutive days we held two excellent public meetings, followed by a lobby outside the board meeting of Whitefriars Housing.
28 people attended the meeting in Hillfields despite heavy rain, and over 40 people came in Stoke the next day. Former Labour MP and Socialist councillor Dave Nellist spoke at both meetings, and tenants were given appeal forms to submit to the council.
People also shared how the bedroom tax is affecting them. One tenant explained that he’d been hit by the bedroom tax on his “spare room” – despite the room being just 2.5m long and 1.3m wide! His landlord should stop him being affected by reclassifying the house as having one bedroom, not two. (For more details watch the YouTube video – “Coventry Against the Bedroom Tax – Bekir’s Story”)
Around 40 people came to the lobby of Whitefriars on Thursday to demand that they don’t evict tenants who are affected by the bedroom tax. There are 13 members of the board, of which 4 are tenants and 3 are Labour councillors – if they argued for a non-eviction policy they would have a majority! Labour claim to be against the bedroom tax, so they should support those who are affected.
Coventry council apologises to families told they could not appeal against the bedroom tax!
Coventry City Council has apologised for wrongly telling tenants they could not appeal against the bedroom tax after we challenged them!
Every tenant has the absolute right to appeal. How many vulnerable tenants have believed the council and not appealed? This is an outrage. In giving out this incorrect information – like other councils who have adopted this unlawful strategy of misinformation – many tenants will not have appealed, and may have missed the deadline for an ‘in-time’ appeal.
The only solution is for the council to extend the appeals deadline for all tenants.
Coventry Council tells tenants they can’t appeal against the bedroom tax!
Coventry Council have sent a letter to tenants incorrectly saying they can’t appeal against the bedroom tax! This is incorrect and unlawful – the only solution is to extend the appeals deadline for all tenants.
If you’re putting in a late appeal, you need a reason to do so. Due to this letter you can write “Please accept my late appeal due to the council sending me a letter which incorrectly stated that I could not appeal this decision”.
Please share this!
(We were shown this letter by a tenant and have removed their details)
Coventry Against The Bedroom Tax
Short video on the bedroom tax. This video shows how people are being affected and how we are fighting it. Some of the images are from the protest that have been held within Coventry and the meetings that have taken place.
The bedroom tax lobby is on Thursday 16th at 3.30, make sure you come and freely voice your opinion about this unfair tax.
Bedroom Tax Appeals Guide
If you wish to challenge a ‘bedroom tax’ decision you only have one month to do so. The month is calculated from the date the council wrote to you saying your housing benefit was going to be reduced because they believe you are ‘underoccupying’ and have a ‘spare room(s)’. You can only appeal late if you have a good reason, for example, you had been ill.
This toolkit guide explains how you can challenge the cut in your housing benefit. If you want to challenge your council’s decision you need to send the DISPUTE FORM below to your local revenue and benefits council office.
A local advice agency may be able to represent you for free too, if not you may be able to get free help from a local solicitor under the ‘Advice and Assistance Scheme’.
Please note this document is an illustrative guide only and is not legal advice.
1. ‘Reference number’ – this is the housing benefit reference that your council has given you on their letter to you, which should be at the top of their letter.
2. ‘National Insurance Number. This helps the council match your dispute to your claim.
3. ‘Name’ – your full name.
4. ‘Address’ – the full postal address of your home where you have been claiming housing benefit.
5. ‘Telephone No’ – your contact number if you have one.
6. ‘Date of decision’ – this is the date of the letter from the council telling you about your housing benefit deductions. If this date is older than one month from when you are filling in the form below you would need to explain why it is late – for example, you were unwell, death in the family, a family crisis, or some other good reason.
7. ‘I think the decision is wrong because’ – we have included some standard technical reasons which should help you but it is really important for you to select from the menu below which specific appeal argument applies to you and write this into Box 7 on the form in your own words. All of these arguments are untested at present, but there are already 10 judicial review cases in England on some of these arguments. If these are successful and you have not appealed you could be affected by what is known as the ‘anti-test case’ rules which means you cannot benefit from the success of any court case for past loss unless you appealed yourself.
POSSIBLE APPEAL GROUNDS
If you have a disabled person living in the household then you might be able to say:
- “A disabled adult lives in my house and requires their own bedroom because of the needs of their disability. To ignore the needs of a disabled member of my household and treating them as not being entitled to their own room to sleep in is discriminatory and unlawful in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998” AND
- “The disabled member of my household requires a bedroom for therapeutic/care purposes/to store medical equipment in relation to their disability” AND
- “My home has been specially adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person”.
If someone in the household has mental or physical health problems you might be able to say:
- “A member of my household has mental or physical health problems which would make moving from their home harmful, and requiring such a move is discriminatory and unlawful in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998”
If you have children who had previously been in a household that experienced domestic violence you might be able to say:
- “My children need a safe space because they previously lived in a household which experienced domestic violence and requiring such a move is unlawful in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998”.
If you have a small galley-style kitchen you might be able to say:
- “I have a small galley-style kitchen and you have wrongly classified my dining-room as a spare bedroom”.
If you have a bedroom which is a small box-type room you may be able to say:
- “I have a small box-type room which is not a bedroom, and you have wrongly classified this as a spare bedroom”.
If you are separated from a former partner and share child care on a part-time basis you might be able to say:
- “I am separated from my former partner and require the room you have wrongly classified as a spare room to meet my child care and parental duties. To ignore my duties as a parent, and ignore the needs of my children to stay with me, is discriminatory and unlawful in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998”
If none of the above apply, then you may wish to argue the following:
- “You have wrongly classified as a spare bedroom the room I use as a *family play room/*storage room/*games room”.
8. ‘Signature’ – you must sign and date the form.
9. ‘Return to council office’ – you need to send this to the council housing benefit office. It is best to have proof of sending – so you can deliver by hand and ask for a receipt or send recorded delivery. You can use ordinary post if you have no other option – but in all cases always keep a copy of the form you send in. You can go to your local library or a shop that photocopies or print out two forms and fill in both, keeping one for use later.
The address of the housing benefit office in Coventry is:
Housing Benefits and Advice Centre
Spire House
New Union Street
Coventry
CV1 2PW
You can phone them on 024 7683 1800 or email them at benefits@coventry.gov.uk
What happens next?
Your council should send you a ‘statement of reasons’ – you have asked for this in box 7 of the form, keep these safe. Box 7 also asks for a review and an appeal at the same time.
A review is necessary to ask the council to reconsider its decision and a different officer will look at your case and may ask for more information. Again, if you need help with this contact a local advice agency or solicitor.
Box 7 also asks for an appeal, this is because if the council refuse your review and insist that you are liable to bedroom tax deductions they will have to send your case to an Independent Tribunal.
This is a downloadable Word document of this guide. coventry bedroom tax appeals guide
Contact Us
Hotline: 07870757585
Amelia Roberts: 07712805874
Rob McArdle: 07766020436
Dan Crowter: 07728711842
Dave Griffiths: 07929395884
Appeal Letter Template
(1) Reference Number:
(2) National Insurance Number:
(3) Name:
(4) Address:
(5) Telephone Number:
The name of the benefit I am disputing is housing benefit (under-occupancy deductions – “bedroom tax”).
(6) The date of the decision I wish to dispute is: (date of decision or brief details that will allow the decision to be identified)
I would like to request three things – (1) a statement of reasons (2) for this decision to be looked at again under review and (3) I wish to appeal against this decision.
(7) I think your decision is wrong because you have failed to base your decision upon the actual facts and circumstances of my case, or an inspection of my home. Please provide me with a copy of your policy which sets out how you define ‘bedroom’ for the purposes of the HB Regulations 2006 as amended by SI No.3040, and any other documentation which explains how you have reached your decision in my particular case. I believe you have applied a blanket policy, and unlawful approach, in determining that I have a spare room.
I also believe your decision is wrong because: [insert below]
(8) Signature:
(9) Date:
Public Meeting in Henley
Around 65 people packed out the first Coventry Against the Bedroom Tax public meeting in Henley on April 30th to discuss how to fight the bedroom tax. Former Labour MP and Socialist councillor Dave Nellist spoke passionately attacking the Government’s welfare reforms and asking the council to support tenants.
Local residents shared stories of how the bedroom tax is affecting them – one couple wanted to downsize their house, but as they were in rent arrears Whitefriars wouldn’t let them move! Others spoke of the need to organise within their communities to defend people against evictions.
The mood of the meeting was passionate and determined to fight back – as one woman said, “it’s not just rooms, it’s our homes!”
Coventry Against the Bedroom Tax 