City’s Housing Chief asks Julian Huppert to apologise to bedroom tax victims

Councillor Kevin Price, the Executive Councillor for Housing at Cambridge City Council, has slammed the Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, Julian Huppert, over the bedroom tax saying he is crying crocodile tears and should be apologising to tenants for the stress and worry caused over the last two years.

Speaking ahead of the vote in Parliament on Friday 5 September on the private member’s Affordable Homes Bill proposed by Liberal Democrat Andrew George, which seeks to modify part of the bedroom tax, also called the Spare Room Subsidy, Councillor Price said: “Julian Huppert has voted for the bedroom tax time and time again despite being told many times it would have a devastating impact on some in Cambridge and that there were insufficient homes for people to downsize to. All he has done so far in Westminster is make empty gestures and political posturing whilst in Cambridge hundreds of residents have been put through stress and worry over the last two years.”

“Even now he cannot face up to the fact that the only real answer is to abolish the Act not amend it. It is unfair and it is unworkable and it actually costs more money than it was supposed to save. So far only about 5% of tenants affected in Cambridge have been able to move and many are now in arrears. Meanwhile tenants have the constant threat over their heads of losing their homes. It really is about time he stopped crying crocodile tears over something he made happen and thought about simply saying sorry and helping end the whole thing.”