LETTER: We desperately need the ‘bedroom tax’

The truth is because of Labour’s appalling immigration policies and a reluctance to build houses over the last 15 years, we have a housing shortage crisis. We have thousands of families with young children crammed into one or two-bed houses, on housing waiting lists desperate for appropriate council housing, while people who have been in council housing for 15+ years have spare bedrooms. This is wrong. The system clearly needs reforming.

My wife and I and our four children, all under 12 years old, are one of these families. We are cramped into a tiny two-bed house and we can’t cope. We, and many others like us, are desperate for a council house. Council housing should be there for people like us who really need it for as long as we need it but not forever. Labour introduced this policy for privately rented accommodation and rightly so. Now the coalition is introducing it for all people on housing benefits except pensioners, adults with carers and some other exceptions, like people serving in the armed forces. We must get out of this benefits for life culture. A council house is not for life!

Also, if we’re going to get out of this position then we need to build more houses. Simple as that. But look who are campaigning against house building? Probably the same people campaigning against this benefit cut!

DAVID RICHARDSON

Nelson