Bedroom Tax Undermining Homelessness Efforts This Festive Season

REPORTS COMES AT END OF WESTMINSTER’S “YEAR OF SHAME”

Local MP Eilidh Whiteford has condemned Westminster’s “year of shame” on the bedroom tax, and once again pledged that the hated tax would be scrapped in an independent Scotland.

In total over 82,000 households are estimated in Scotland to be affected by the tax, including 63,500 households with a disabled adult, and 15,000 households with children.

The Scottish Affairs Committee has belatedly begun to wake up to the damage the Bedroom Tax is having on vulnerable people in Scotland, with its report published this month calling for the tax to be scrapped. The committee was warned that the bedroom tax risked "fundamentally undermining" Scotland's progressive commitment to reducing homelessness and ensuring everyone has the right to a permanent home.

Policy manager at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations David Ogilvie said the Scottish Parliament could be justifiably proud of the country’s homelessness commitment, but said: "The ability to achieve its own targets is being fundamentally undermined by this (bedroom tax) policy." He added that homeless people could be left in temporary accommodation for far longer periods of time as people affected by the bedroom tax are moved into the few smaller properties available.

However, these criticisms come too late – given that 47 Labour MPs failed to turn up to Labour’s own debate to scrap the tax, in a vote which was lost by 26 votes. Among them were 10 Scottish Labour MPs – including Deputy Leader Anas Sarwar, who had previously demanded Nicola Sturgeon sign a bill to scrap the tax.

More than 30 Lib Dem MPs voted to uphold the government's hated Bedroom Tax - despite their own party members having condemned the policy at their party conference.

Commenting, Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“There are many hundreds of households in the North-east alone who are suffering financial difficulties as a result of the Bedroom Tax with many of those affected being low earners, single women tenants and the disabled. The SNP has repeatedly opposed the Bedroom Tax at Westminster, including in the ridiculous situation where a Labour opposition debate was lost by only 26 votes and a staggering 47 Labour MPs failed to turn up, including 10 from Scotland!

“The people who are being faced with problems as a result of the Bedroom Tax are the very people who need support to bring up children, to supplement a low wage or who simply cannot work due to significant ill health or disability. In a caring society this is unacceptable.

"The Bedroom Tax is inherently unfair. Locally, it is clearly shown by local authorities that they do not have any significant number of houses for people to downsize to, which makes the aim of policy impossible, even if that aim was right in the first place.

“One of the most significant gains of independence is that Scotland will have full control over its welfare system. That means only with a Yes vote will we finally be able to get rid of the unjust bedroom tax and have a welfare state that reflects the views and votes of the people of Scotland."

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UK Government Must End Discrimination Against Off-Grid Energy Customers

In the final week of parliament before Christmas the SNP has again raised the issue of discrimination against ‘off-grid’ energy customers.

Local MP Eilidh Whiteford says this is of significant importance for energy consumers in the North-east with thousands reliant on ‘off-grid’ energy such as tanker delivered oil and gas.

The Scottish National Party have called on the Westminster Government to end the discrimination against Off Gas Grid consumers in the operation of the Energy Company Obligation schemes. These schemes oblige energy companies to support customers to become more energy efficient by funding energy efficiency improvements worth around 1.3 billion pounds each year. However off-grid customers, who are off-grid generally through no choice of their own, are not always eligible.

Commenting after the SNP raised the issue in Scottish Questions Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“Rural consumers, which include thousands in the North-east, are so often forgotten in arguments over energy prices. The Energy Company Obligation is supposed to be technology neutral, but the major energy companies will not include LPG or Home Fuel Oil boilers within their schemes. This is surely discriminatory.”

In his response Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said that his department were considering a Ministerial Round Table to discuss off gas grid issues, but Dr Whiteford says this is not enough:

“There is already a ministerial round table with the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Department of Work and Pensions and others. The SNP has attended their meetings and raised this issue, amongst others, but no action has been taken by government.

“The situation is getting worse since as part of their amendments to the ECO the Westminster government are reducing the obligation to help hard to heat homes, the very homes in rural areas which tend also to be off the gas grid.

“The time for talking is over, the UK government need to take urgent action and insist that the major energy companies truly make the ECO schemes technology neutral and allow consideration of replacement LPG and Home Fuel Oil boilers.”

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Westminster Marriage Tax Break Short-Changing Vunerable Women

PLEDGE TO INTRODUCE FAIRER MODEL IN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND
The Scottish National Party has criticised the UK Government’s plans for marriage tax breaks which would see men make up 85% of those benefitting from the £700 million pot of cash - and leave bereaved and abused women out in the cold.

An analysis has found that only 15% of the people benefitting directly from the £200 a year bonus announced in Westminster’s Autumn Statement earlier this month would be women. Under the policy, which comes into force in 2015, the lower-earning partner will be able to transfer up to £1,000 of their unused tax allowance to the other, but the scheme will overwhelmingly benefit men as they are more likely to be the higher earner.

Commenting, SNP MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford said:

“Quite simply, the UK government marriage tax break is short-changing women.

“The policy reinforces other measures that discourage ‘dual earning’ couples, by making those who benefit lose if their partner takes a job for more than a few hours a week. The Women’s Budget Group has recognised that it will dissuade women from going back to work because the husband could lose their allowance if his wife gets a part-time or low-paid job that takes them over the earnings threshold.

“A woman who loses her husband through bereavement or is forced to leave the family home because of domestic violence also loses out.

“UK government benefit cuts already mean that many women are struggling financially, and the £700 million price tag could be better spent elsewhere.

“Even the Institute of Fiscal Studies has recognised that the Westminster policy is symbolic and would be of little benefit.

“Westminster’s tax-breaks which only benefit the traditional nuclear family shows how out of touch the UK Government is.

“As outlined in Scotland’s Future, with independence an SNP government would scrap marriage tax breaks – our priority is to help families with children by greatly expanding childcare provision.”

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Concern Over Soaring Cost of Stamps as Privatisation Threatens Greater Price Rises

CALL FOR FREEZE IN STAMP PRICES

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford is backing calls for Royal Mail to deliver a freeze on the price of stamps.

Stamps have increased in price closely in line with inflation over the past 30 years but rocketed in 2012. With Royal Mail now privatised the fear is that the price of stamps will continue to soar.

Now, as Santa Claus finalises his ‘naughty and nice’ lists, the SNP’s Postal Affairs spokesperson Mike Weir has called for Royal Mail to freeze the price of a stamp and give assurances that the sell-off will not lead to further price hikes.

Westminster’s approach to the Royal Mail contrasts with that of the Isle of Man, where the post office remains in public hands and it is cheaper to send a letter from the island to anywhere on the UK mainland than it is to send one between Scotland and England.

Commenting, Eilidh Whiteford said:

“Our postal services are far too important to simply be sold off on the cheap in the way Westminster has done.

“What we now need from the privatised service is an assurance that the price of a letter will not increase before Scotland becomes independent.

“It is cheaper to send a letter through the Isle of Man’s publicly owned postal service to the mainland than it is to send one from Scotland to England – and the fear must be that privatisation will only make this worse.

"It is clear that the only way for Scotland to have the postal service it wants and deserves is with a Yes vote next year.

"The SNP have pledged to act to maintain a universal six-day a week postal service in an independent Scotland and bring the Royal Mail back into public ownership where it belongs.”

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