FFS!
The money spent by the DWP on something we could have told him for free would have paid the tax for more than 5,300 of its victims
By Jason Beattie
The money spent by the DWP on something we could have told him for free would have paid the tax for more than 5,300 of its victims
Unpopular policy: Iain Duncan Smith's Bedroom Tax Unpopular policy: Iain Duncan Smith's Bedroom Tax
Iain Duncan Smith has spent more than £75,000 of taxpayers’ money on polling the popularity of the Bedroom Tax.
The money spent by the Work and Pensions Secretary would have paid the tax for more than 5,300 victims of the hated policy.
The Department of Work and Pensions paid pollsters Ipsos Mori £14,700 to run a poll on the impact of the bedroom tax and a further £60,920 on polling and a report into its benefit reforms.
The results were then used by the Conservative-led Government to try to justify the policy which docks housing benefit by an average of £14 a week for anyone in a council or housing association property deemed to have a spare room.
But the polling revealed that a majority of people thought the Bedroom Tax was unfair if victims had no smaller home to move to.
Campaigners warned Mr Duncan Smith that tens of thousands of disabled people are now having to cutback on food and heating because of the tax. The bosses of more than 50 charities have written to Iain Duncan Smith saying his hated policy is having a “devastating impact” on people with disabilities.
In a bluntly-worded letter, they say that nine in 10 disabled claimants or their carers are having to cut back on food and heating as a result of the tax.
Labour MP Phil Wilson said: “The Government didn’t need a poll to tell them how disastrous the Bedroom Tax is. Rather than spending thousands of taxpayer pounds they could have listened to the thousands of hardworking families who will be affected by this unfair and unjust policy.
“Ministers are more focused on PR than delivering effective policy. This is an out-of-touch Government standing up for the wrong people.
“At a time of deep cuts to welfare ministers need to justify this polling which will look like waste to a country hurting from this Tory-led Government’s policies.”
A Department of Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: “Polling plays an important and cost effective part of our broader research work, which helps to practically inform our policy making and helps us better understand how our policies impact people.”
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