"No Evictions" Policy Rejected by Liverpool City Council

A Green motion asking the City Council and local Housing Associations to sign up to a principle of no evictions due to the Bedroom Tax has been rejected by the city's Housing Committee. An amendment by the ruling Labour group watered down a Green proposal that no one in the city should be evicted.

Cllr John Coyne, Deputy Leader of the Greens in Liverpool, said:

"We accept that individual Labour councillors are sincere in opposing the bedroom tax, but by rejecting this motion Labour in Liverpool have shown that they are not willing to support a "no evictions" principle and they are not willing to press a future Labour government to promise to repeal the legislation. This exposes a Labour credibility gap between rhetoric and reality."

Brighton and Hove, which is a Green council, has already made clear that they do not want to see any evictions if people fall into arrears because of the bedroom tax. SNP and Labour councils in Scotland have voted in support of similar proposals. Shelter, the housing charity, have said that each eviction will cost around £6000, causing considerable additional expense to move out people who are unable to afford the additional costs.

Cllr Coyne added:

"Despite our huge disappointment at seeing the motion amended beyond all recognition, we applaud the individual stance taken by Labour Cllr Peter Mitchell, who said he would resign as a director of Cobalt housing if tenants were to be evicted on account of bedroom tax arrears. We challenge all Labour councillors on the board of local housing associations to match his individual pledge."