Hundreds of Perthshire residents face losing their homes because of the ‘bedroom tax’ shock new figures have revealed.
The sweeping Government welfare reforms will hit council tenants. Benefits will be stripped from people living in properties with empty bedrooms unless they agree to move into smaller homes.
But a chronic shortage of suitable council houses in Perth and Kinross could see residents dumped on the streets, it is feared.
The controversial measures are vehemently opposed by the council, which fears that residents could be plunged into rent arrears and poverty.
Although it admits there may be little it can do to mitigate the effects for some, the measures it can take will be outlined to councillors at a crucial meeting.
The housing and health committee will consider a report that identifies 759 known households that will be affected by the new house size rules.
They include 232 households in council tenancies who are under-occupying by one bedroom and 194 households under-occupying by two or more bedrooms.
Each at-risk household has already been notified by the council that they risk having their housing benefit reduced under the new reforms. They have also been offered every possible assistance by the council.
Housing and health convener Dave Doogan said the council would be working with its tenants and registered social landlords to minimise the negative impact of welfare changes.
Nonetheless, he has had to accept that Perth and Kinross’s long-standing struggle to provide affordable social housing may hamper efforts to protect householders.
“I can assure people that they will have the full support and assistance of Perth and Kinross Council in overcoming any difficulties arising from the new size criteria,” Mr Doogan said.
“If people want to move to a smaller property, and a smaller property is available, we will, of course, support them to move.
“However, it is a fact that here in Perth and Kinross we suffer from an acute shortage of social housing a situation the council is working hard to address.
“The fact is, we simply do not have enough smaller properties to move people who are ‘under-occupying’ and it is therefore inevitable that welfare reform will have an impact on some tenants.
“We will, however, continue to offer extensive assistance through our welfare rights team. Before welfare reform came into force we invested additional funding so that we could take a proactive approach.
“For example, we launched the Welfare Rights Virtual Hub website as an additional resource to give residents enhanced access to information and support on welfare benefits.
“These measures and the forward planning this council has invested in are to make sure that no council tenant who has fully engaged with our range of support measures and interventions is at risk of eviction due to their inability to pay the bedroom tax element of their rent.”