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SALFORD BEDROOM TAX EVICTION FOUR WEEK REPRIEVE
 

Star date: 10th April 2014

FIRST SALFORD BEDROOM TAX EVICTION HALTED

As sixty people turned up outside a house in Walkden this morning to stop the first Bedroom Tax eviction in Salford, Manchester County Court dramatically gave a four week stay of execution and the City West Housing bailiffs never arrived.

"There is no doubt that if we weren't here now City West would not have changed their mind" Mark Krantz of the Greater Manchester Anti Bedroom Tax Federation, told campaigners who had assembled to face up the bailiffs.

Full details here…


Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted
Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted
Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted Salford Bedroom Tax Eviction Halted
click image to enlarge

At less than a day's notice, sixty people turned up from all over Greater Manchester to a house in Walkden this morning to face up the bailiffs due to evict Vicky, Salford's first Bedroom Tax victim.

She had got into rent arrears with social landlord City West Housing, compounded by Bedroom Tax debts, and was to be evicted at noon. However, a dramatic court hearing this morning adjourned the eviction for four weeks while the court makes additional enquires around housing benefits.

The emergency hearing had been set up by Shelter's duty housing solicitor after the Greater Manchester Anti Bedroom Tax Federation had intervened, and Mark Krantz from the Federation, speaking outside Vicky's house announced to cheers that "They are not going to evict Vicky from her home today…

"There is no doubt that if we weren't here City West would not have changed their mind" he added "because when I contacted them yesterday afternoon they said that `It's nothing to do with the Bedroom Tax' and that they were minded to go ahead with this eviction. 

"That's why we put a call out to everyone to come and make sure that Vicky is not evicted from her home" he explained "We know why Vicky had rent arrears, because of poverty. The Cabinet Minister, Maria Miller, has two homes, one of them worth over a million pounds…more expenses were fiddled by her than the rent arrears that Vicky owes. Yet what does she get? A pay-off because she stood down from the Cabinet. There is one law for them and one for us.

"If they could evict Vicky today, who would they have evicted tomorrow?" he asked "Bedroom Tax arrears are growing and growing, and more and more people are getting into debt. It's a very important step here today."

Representatives of Anti Bedroom Tax campaign groups from all over Greater Manchester were outside the house this morning - from Bolton, South Manchester, Middleton, Wythenshawe, Chorlton and Bury, plus protectors from Barton Moss and the Occupy GMP HQ Camp, local residents and neighbours.

Paul Gerrard from Salford Against The Cuts welcomed the variety of groups supporting the anti-eviction action…

"It's really important that we bring the movement together and find a way forward against austerity" he said "All our movements can learn from each other."

He used the eviction as an example of what can happen when houses owned by Salford Council are privatised and given to landlords like City West Housing…

"We will be campaigning to keep council housing, and to stop the Salix Homes stock transfer" explained "because you can see what happens when you transfer your stock to private housing associations."

Salford City UNISON was also supporting the action this morning and branch treasurer Ameen Hadi, said: "For us it is about working class people paying the price for austerity, and we have to stand together and unite for whoever are the victims of austerity and make sure they aren't victims, that we support them and fight back. What today proves is that if we stand together we can stop these things happening."

Meanwhile, City West Housing Trust issued the following statement…

"While we cannot discuss individual customer circumstances, we can confirm that this case is not directly related to non-payment of spare room subsidy/bedroom tax.

"Eviction proceedings are always an absolute last resort for City West, and we take every possible step to ensure that all of our customers are aware of the full range of support and advice services available to them.

"We are fully committed to helping customers who are affected by the Government's welfare reforms, and last year we spent in excess of £500,000 to support customers through the changes."

Whatever, for City West and Salix and any other social landlord who tries to evict a tenant, directly or indirectly, for Bedroom Tax arrears this was certainly a shot across the bows…

* See also previous Salford Star article on the City West eviction – click here

Photos by Steven Speed

More photos on the Salford Star Picture Story section - https://salfordstar.jux.com/2831158

june smith wrote
at 21:37:37 on 21 April 2014
To the Taxpayer above regarding his comment "try getting a job"People affected by the Bedroomtax do have jobs in some cases , as in one of my daughters who is a single patent of two children works between 16 and 30 hrs a week on minimum wage as and when suits her employer , and gets a rent rebate and therefor leaves her eligable for Bedroomtax , and constantly making visets to council tax offices to review her wage to determine how much rent she pays , She would like a full yime job or her employer to give her a contract for more hours , so contradictory to your belief people affected by BT do work ,vent your anger at the real benefit scroungers such as MPs who your taxes are paying for spare homes and numerous spate bedrooms
?
ann sanderson wrote
at 08:09:53 on 16 April 2014
It is sad to see comments that are not nice. Noone knows how hard this lady may have had it, and to live on low income or benefits with such a high cost of living, it is hard enough to make ends meet. Just paying fuel bills is a challenge never mind water rates and council tax. It is easy to build up debt, as has been shown in the news, when things are tough. Whilst we are all suffering the austerity cuts millionaires are receiving tax cuts; whilst this lady is stressed and threated to be evicted over three thousand pound debt, how little when many take up bankcrupcies and somehow I have seen that although they get discharged of their debt, some of them, somehow they seem to hang on to massive properties, mobile homes, etc etc. It's is a disgrace, evicting someone over bedroom tax, which ought to be illegal in the first place, and beg tell me where would she have been rehoused???? anywhere working class folk need to stick together - and this is a great example 60 neighbours and friends united to help this special lady - great to see!! well done everyone!!!
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Alisom wrote
at 07:50:44 on 13 April 2014
Hold on a minute , if you read the qrticle you will see that this lady had suffered bereavement and has some memtal health difficulties and has had no one to offer her support in court or help with budgeting and finance and applying for dhp etc .. west have a duty of care , thank goodness they have given this reprieve . Im severly disabled and work part time .
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Nemesis wrote
at 09:21:17 on 12 April 2014
and...who brought in the "window tax"?...but,the issue here is the fact that soooo many people from various groups came together...the rest of you,stop moaning,get together to bring about change......this is the message...it's called "strength in numbers"...so,quit jibberin and get off your backsides....that is if you want change
?
tax payer wrote
at 09:21:11 on 12 April 2014
Bleeding joke this try getting a job stop claiming benefits that come out my wage I think I know this person and sure the daughter does not live there or stay there so pay the bedroom tax as I agree u should or leave am sick of working and having to pay for people like this end of rant
?
Kenneth w mckelvey wrote
at 17:41:37 on 11 April 2014
Torys are always banging on about how they are the party of low taxation / Dare I ask Who brought in the council tax The VAT Tax The bedroom Tax. Why has the UK got all these taxes/ To make up for all the taxes they the wealthy torys Dodge. The last figure this pathetic gang of Etonians came up with was 67 Billion£s per year Dodged . So that means we the ordinary people will have to find that amount to pay the Police/ Armed Forces/ Education / NHS/Etc 268 Billion£s lost to the treasury while they have been in power/ So they make massive cuts to peoples Health an Welfare to look as though they know how to handle the UKs monatery problems They have not got a clue / So they will carry on hitting the poorest with daft taxes like the bed tax. To say this government is useless is putting it politely
?
ENGLISHCHRIS wrote
at 10:53:25 on 11 April 2014
IF THE ARREARS ARE DOWN TO THE BEDROOM TAX FAIR ENOUGH, IF NOT WHY SHOULD THE TAXPAYER PAY FOR HER ARREARS
?
a wrote
at 10:52:45 on 11 April 2014
every sympathy for genuine defaulters on debt etc but some just take the mickey..
?
Scooch wrote
at 21:04:09 on 10 April 2014
She owed over 3k in rent arrears, shame on her for not thinking about her children and blaming everyone else for her failings in life!!!!
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