Labour councillor Brian Gordon is to ask the city council not to pay a fee of £5,000 for delegates to attend the upcoming Chartered Institute of Housing conference, and to give the savings to help hard-up tenants.
Mr Gordon is to propose a motion at Monday night’s housing committee meeting, asking that the council does not cover the expected spend on attendance and instead allocates it to the discretionary housing payment fund to help tenants who are in arrears due to the “bedroom tax”.
He said: “While Scottish Government cuts are forcing Dundee City Council to cut the quality of services to the public, better use of £5,000 of council money is called for.
“The SNP in Dundee should build upon the spirit of accord struck between Labour and the SNP at Holyrood to help to protect the victims of the repugnant ‘bedroom tax’.
“The money should be spent on behalf of those in our city who, through no fault of their own, have fallen foul of this punitive legislation.”
His motion reads: “We the Labour Group on Dundee City Council wish to move, that due to the financial climate created by the Extra Room Subsidy (the bedroom tax), it is prudent to decline the invitation to send any councillor or employee to the above conference and any cost saving be donated to the Discretionary Housing Payment account.”