Scotland’s housing minister has refused to commit to wiping arrears built up because of the so-called bedroom tax even if she was given the money and power to do so.
Margaret Burgess also declined to give any promises about refunding tenants who have paid extra since the housing benefit change was brought in last April, even when offered the hypothetical situation that funds were available and Holyrood had no bar over the relevant laws.
She said ministers did not want to see people in arrears because of the policy and reiterated the SNP’s desire for it to be scrapped, a view shared by the all-Labour Scottish Affairs Select committee by which she was being questioned.
Ms Burgess added: “I’m not going to sit here today and say the Scottish Government has got the budgetto say ‘yes we will pay that money back to people’.”
It came as Dundee City Council’s directorof corporate services, Marjory Stewart, revealed local authority rent arrears had increased by more than £635,000 at the end of January 2014.
Under questioning by Dundee West MP and committee member Jim McGovern, she said around £503,000, or roughly a third, of the debt was down to the removal of the “spare room subsidy” in April.
Ian Thomson, of Abertay Housing, and Hillcrest Housing’s Steve Kell said arrears had increased by around 30% and 18% respectively since the “bedroom tax” came into force.
City housing convener John Alexander said the council would want to clear all arrears and refund anyone who has paid extra since the benefits changes “if the money was available” breaking with his colleague’s views.
Mr Alexander, Mr Thomson, Mr Kell and Ms Stewart were among witnesses giving evidence to the committee at Douglas Community Centre on Monday.