Earlier this week I voted to abolish the unjust and unworkable bedroom tax being imposed by the Government. Unfortunately the vote was lost because the Government defended a policy that inflicts hardship and suffering on children in poverty and people with disabilities.

At the same time as cutting taxes for the wealthiest, the Government are penalising disabled people and their loved ones that work so hard caring for them.

The bedroom tax hits over 400,000 disabled people nationwide, including around 50,000 disabled people in Yorkshire & the Humber. For the vast majority of those affected, there is nowhere smaller to move to, hitting vulnerable people with an average bill of £720 a year through no fault of their own. Instead of reducing the housing benefit bill, there is now a real risk the bedroom tax will cost more than it saves.

To avoid borrowing more to pay for social security, the bedroom tax could be repealed by cutting down on tax loopholes and avoidance. As people affected by this tax simply can’t wait until 2015 for it to be repealed, pressure must be kept on the Government to repeal it.