Opponents make their feelings known during a protest outside MP Simon Wright's office in Norwich over the "bedroom tax".
PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY
Photo gallery: ‘Bedroom tax’ opponents pull on pyjamas for Norwich protest
Mark Shields
Saturday, March 16, 2013
5:53 PM
More than 150 protesters gathered outside the offices of Norwich South MP Simon Wright to protest at the government’s ‘bedroom tax’ proposals.
The demonstration was one of around 60 taking place around the country today, and was attended by members of the Labour party, Socialist Workers’ Party, Unite and Unison, and representatives of the Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People (NCODP) and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC).
Crowds assembled at Douro Place, off Dereham Road, to hear speeches from Labour city council candidate and organiser Emma Corlett, Mark Harrison, the chief executive of NCODP, and Clive Lewis, Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Norwich South.
Protesters wore pyjamas and dressing gowns, with many clutching teddy bears and hot water bottles to show their opposition to proposals that could see people’s housing benefit cut if they are deemed to have too much living space.
Ms Corlett said they had chosen Mr Wright’s office as the location of the protest because he had not voted on the bedroom tax in the House of Commons.
Speaking afterwards, she said: “It was good to see such a broad range of people turn up for the protest.
“A lot of people have been affected, and many different groups have come together.”
She said she hoped the groups could organised a coordinated response to cuts they feel are unnecessary.
“It will be a way of bringing people together to see how we can organise a campaign against the bedroom tax and other welfare cuts,” she said.
“We hope it will be start of the reaction from the community.”
For more on this story, see Monday’s Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News.
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30 comments
Mr Camer*n Isal*ar, the reason why this room tax is not applicable to private landlords is simple...they're doing the country a favour in housing folk who would otherwise be homeless.
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nrg
Monday, March 18, 2013
Mr Cameron Isaliar, the reason why this room tax is not applicable to private landlords is simple...they're doing the country a favour is housing folk who would otherwise be homeless.
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nrg
Monday, March 18, 2013
Because, Mr. Cameron Isaliar, the topic is the bedroom tax.
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Jane
Monday, March 18, 2013
From the comments posted here you can see that this populist scrounger-bashing policy is a winner when it comes to rallying Tory supporters. Now why is it that it is not extended to the private sector. LOL
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Mr Cameron Isaliar
Monday, March 18, 2013
Exactly Philippa. I understand that Norwich City Council is over a year late in collecting monies from their tenants. Bet you and I could sort them out in a month! As for there being no one or two bedroom properties it would seem to me that that is a good place to start. Build loads of single dwelling properties. I bet if they approached small builders who could build these in units of say 40 or 50 at a time using some of the great examples there are in Norwich the problem would soon be solved. The money could be provided by the funds saved from having to have vast quantities of social housing waiting list families in private accommodation or B&B. Force the banks to lend the money to kickstart the building.
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Electra
Monday, March 18, 2013
two out of every three houses in my village - and others in Norfolk - are not lived in. Its not just social housing that has to be justly shared out but all housing.
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Peter Smith
Monday, March 18, 2013
Very well put, Electra. The Loony Left's ideas are always so half-baked. I once went to an Earlham House protest meeting. The usual rabble rousers were there (including Clive Lewis, of course). Some of the tenants weren't even paying their rent, yet they still expected the council to keep them there.
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Jane
Monday, March 18, 2013
HMRC estimates conservatively, meaning they reckon that the real figure is much higher, that one thrid of the rented sector landlords do not pay any taxes on their rents, an estimated 500 million, so private landlords are as fraudulent as those who dare to have brought up a family and who's children have now left home, leaving them with an extra bill to pay. Down sizing in the private sector is possible, but our housing associations do not build one or two bedroom apartments, so were can somebody living in a two or three bedroom house downsize to?
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ingo wagenknecht
Monday, March 18, 2013
If everybody could get it into their bonces that social housing has to be shared out according to needs. Harsh as it may seem to some fluffy heads, people who use social housing are temporary inhabitants of that housing. If I were to rent a private house with three bedrooms as suits my family at present for say £1,000 per month out of my earned income then with a sigh of relief I would downsize to a one bedroom as soon as the children left to go and earn their own money and buy their own houses. These people seem to think that council tenants have rights above people who work hard and go without to have their own houses. Just because you have hopped onto the benefits gravy train should not mean that you get preferential treatment to others. Financial ability not access to handouts is the driver of housing need in the real world and it is abut time everyone woke up to that fact. If a tenant rents a property, whether social or private it is never ever their property, it is a temporary dwelling for them with the ownership vesting in the landlord and they would be sensible to move to save money. I dont like most of this Tory government's policies but they are right on this one and I think it disgraceful that the people commenting here are happy to have one individual in a three bedroom property while a family of four languish in bed and breakfast. How unfair and cruel is that.
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Electra
Monday, March 18, 2013
these are the unions who supported labour for thirteen years while they wrecked this country. You only get what you vote for. More proof that the three main parties are not putting british people first
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milecross
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Turning the spare room into a place of worship can save folk 40 notes per month. This little not very known fact, is all possible due to the Human Rights Act..."God is Great" or Allahu Akbar. Conversion kits are freely available for nowt.
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nrg
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The solution is simple. Just remove the bed from the spare bedroom and turn it into an office, studio, play room, or even a walk in wardrobe. I can't see what all the fuss is about.
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Lord Elf
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Philippa I love you.
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PaulH
Sunday, March 17, 2013
And a few other things besides.
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Jane
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Clive Lewis media opportunist spokesman
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PaulH
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sorry. I have no idea why my comment has appeared three times. I only posted it once.
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Jane
Saturday, March 16, 2013
I wouldn't trust anything that Clive Lewis had a hand in or the other faces behind Norwich's Labour Party. Labour should have a good look at their representatives.
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Jane
Saturday, March 16, 2013
I wouldn't trust anything that Clive Lewis had a hand in or the other faces behind Norwich's Labour Party. Labour should have a good look at their representatives.
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Jane
Saturday, March 16, 2013
A rabble of the usual suspects.
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nrg
Saturday, March 16, 2013
I wouldn't trust anything that Clive Lewis had a hand in or the other faces behind Norwich's Labour Party. Labour should have a good look at their representatives.
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Jane
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Well said, Sweet Cheeks. I know someone who is complaining vehemently about the so-called Bedroom Tax and gambles his benefit money away.
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Jane
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Archant fail to report that a key attendee at today's event was Winston the dog.You know the speech about fighting then on the beaches etc.We are Spartacus.
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Peter Watson
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Of course the real problem with spare bedrooms falls with the elderly who should really downsize. The coalition doesn't have the balls to move them though.
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omnishambles
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Dont believe Labour either we had 13 years of there lies and high taxes. Absolute cheating rubbish
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Sweet cheeks
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Worried about the Leveson report still Archant because you should be.
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Peter Watson
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Dont believe Labour either we had 13 years of there lies and high taxes. Absolute cheating rubbish
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Sweet cheeks
Saturday, March 16, 2013
On numbers I spoke to a very helpful PC-no available on request.He said "At its peak there were,in his judgement,between 180-200,"Do not believe the Tory media,
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Peter Watson
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Typical brain dead unions and labour, what about if a couple with two or three children are in need of that house and that couple only needs a one or two bedroom property? There are only so many houses and the peoples needs and fianances must be considered, benifits should be a short term help not a career unless you are really in need then you should be looked after. Also if a house hold income is over say 40k perhaps you should be in private rent or buy your own, there are to many people on hand outs and it needs to be sorted like it or not.
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Sweet cheeks
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Mr. Wright was not present and some people who were not happy with the union and party tags of those above, were told to ef off, so they moved into the City centre, were I met them, and we collected hundreds of signatures in support. The bedroom tax is punitive, just consider this. A young couple marries and has a child, they are allocated a three bedroom property by a private housing association apparently caring. Then after a long life working and bringing up the children, they leave the home and you have two empty bedrooms. Now the council sold to a private housing association and the Government is telling them that those in social housing should move out into appropriate housing that does not exist and is not being build. A bad unfair tax, just as the poll tax was, is should never be implemented and be rejected as arbitrary and unhelpful by those housing association who say they care for their tenants.
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ingo wagenknecht
Saturday, March 16, 2013
No soundbite from Smith or Wright to defend this 'much needed' government policy? Get your act together!
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Police Commissioner ???
Saturday, March 16, 2013