PEOPLE Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said has welcomed the scrapping of the Bedroom Tax in the North of Ireland but added that it should have been introduced by Stormont.
Said Cllr Harkin: “We join others in welcoming the news that Sinn Féin and the DUP have finally got round to ending loopholes allowing people here to be punished with Bedroom Tax costs.
“The pushback against the implementation of the Bedroom Tax is the result of people power pressure on Executive parties who brought in cruel Tory welfare reforms in the first place. We commend those efforts.
“The introduction of Tory welfare reforms by the DUP, Sinn Féin and Alliance Party has been a disaster.
“Imposing these policies represented a sell-out of low-paid workers and the vulnerability in all communities who were staunchly opposed.
“Sinn Féin poured salt on the wound by then claiming the Bedroom Tax would never be introduced here. This was proven not to be true.
“Even now, the DUP and Sinn Féin have treated the Bedroom Tax as a political football with which to make the most mileage on. Hence, the agreement right before an election.
“The Stormont Executive has shown no urgency in protecting workers and the least well-off.
“Prior to the pandemic nearly 400,000 people here lived in poverty. 25% of children here were living in poverty before the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, deprivation has deepened over the last two years while elites have seen their wealth grow exponentially.
“The Bedroom Tax ban should have been settled a long time ago. The Executive’s lack of urgency in standing up for the bottom-half of society hasn’t changed.
“The criminal inaction by Stormont, business and those with regulatory responsibility in response to the cost of living crisis shows nothing has changed – it’s still one rule for elites, another for the rest.
“Tory welfare reforms need to be overthrown and replaced with a humane fit-for-purpose welfare safety net,” added Cllr Harkin.
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