From the Independent:
The father of Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has launched a scathing attack on the “bedroom tax” in the annual report of a Scottish housing association.
Di Alexander is the chair of the Lochaber Housing Association and in its annual report, he has this to say about the Bedroom Tax and other aspects of welfare reform:
The Association has also been facing up to the considerable challenges presented by Welfare Reform changes. The first of these to be implemented – the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ – is particularly unfair in that it penalises both our tenants and ourselves for not being able to magic up a supply of smaller properties, particularly those with only one bedroom, when we have been funded by Government since our inception to build nothing smaller than two bedroomed flats and houses, precisely because all parties hitherto agreed that this was the most versatile form of rural housing to meet the needs of all the types of household that are likely to live in the property during its long lifetime. We have been devoting a great deal of extra resource to advising and assisting those tenants who are affected and will continue to do so as other welfare changes kick in.
It is hardly surprising that the Chair of a housing association in rural Scotland has something to say about the Bedroom Tax. In any event, there should be no expectation that being related to a Cabinet Minister demands total public agreement with their views in a personal or professional capacity.
Di Alexander’s views are, however, very similar to those expressed by Liberal Democrats whenever they have debated this measure. Both Federal and Scottish conferences have overwhelmingly voted against it.
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