Desmond Swayne

Conservative MP for New Forest West

@DesmondSwayne https://facebook.com/Desmond.Swayne

Housing Benefit Reduction For Those Deemed to have Excess Bedrooms

There have been votes in Parliament on the introduction, and operation of, a policy to restrict housing benefit for those in social housing deemed to have excess bedrooms. This policy has been called the "Bedroom Tax" by Labour and some commentators .

Photo: rchappo2002

Desmond Swayne consistently voted for reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms (which Labour describe as the "bedroom tax")

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TheyWorkForYou has calculated this MP’s stance based on votes we have grouped on this topic. Learn more.

You can browse the source data on PublicWhip.org.uk. We are in the process of moving away from using the PublicWhip and there may be some discrepancies between the two sites.

Major votes

Minor votes

  • On 8 May 2018: Desmond Swayne voted not to give local councils the freedom to decide if benefits to cover housing costs should be reduced in respect of excess bedrooms in cases of new local council secure tenancies offered to victims of domestic abuse. Show vote
  • On 17 Dec 2014: Desmond Swayne voted in favour of housing benefit penalties for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms. Show vote
  • On 17 Dec 2014: Desmond Swayne voted in favour of housing benefit penalties for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms. Show vote
  • On 26 Nov 2014: Desmond Swayne voted to keep the penalty for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms; against freezing energy bills; and against measures to increase pay rates in Wales. Show vote
  • On 14 Oct 2014: Desmond Swayne was absent for a vote on Carers Bedroom Entitlement (Social Housing Sector) Bill Show vote
  • On 5 Sep 2014: Desmond Swayne voted against exemptions to the benefit penalty applied to social housing tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms and against requiring a report on affordable housing. Show vote
  • On 26 Feb 2014: Desmond Swayne voted to remove an exemption from housing benefit penalties due to being deemed to have excess bedrooms which applied to those who've continuously received the benefit in the same property since before 1 January 1996. Show vote
  • On 18 Dec 2013: Desmond Swayne voted against publishing the results of research into food banks; against freezing energy prices; against a water affordability scheme; against measures to end abuses of zero hours contract; against incentives for those paying the living wage and against abolishing the under-occupancy penalty for social housing tenants. Show vote
  • On 12 Nov 2013: Desmond Swayne voted in favour of reducing housing benefit for those deemed to have excess bedrooms. Show vote
  • On 12 Nov 2013: Desmond Swayne voted for a reduction in housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms. Show vote
  • On 27 Feb 2013: Desmond Swayne voted in favour of a housing benefit under-occupancy penalty. Show vote
  • On 1 Feb 2012: Desmond Swayne voted not to require the housing cost element of universal credit be sufficient to cover the actual cost of housing for social tenants in cases where no offer of alternative accommodation has been made and the household has no more than one spare bedroom. Show vote

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