The SNP has called on Scottish Labour to explain their absence at a vote in the House of Commons yesterday which could have scrapped the Bedroom Tax. The opposition day debate was initiated by Labour yet 47 Labour MPs, including 10 Scottish Labour MPs, failed to turn up for a vote that was lost by just 26 votes. Gordon Brown, Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, was one of those who failed to show. If all Labours MPs had turned up to vote, we would have won. The Bedroom Tax has had a significant impact across Scotland since its introduction earlier this year. It has affected up to 12,500 household in Fife. A high proportion of these families are on low incomes and are already struggling to make ends meet. Many of those affected are also suffering from disabilities and severe medical problems, making them particularly vulnerable to increasing household costs. In Fife, there is a severe shortage of one and two bedroom properties available. Whilst many social housing tenants are willing to downsize to a smaller property, there is often no option for them to do so. In 2011-12 there were 39,359 social rented sector homes in Fife, with just one in five of those a one bedroom property. Fife Housing Association have estimated that 20% of their tenants have been affected. The this week presented an opportunity to get rid of the Bedroom Tax, yet the a quarter of Scotland’s Labour MPs failed to attend the debate and vote against it. Thanks to them, we are still under the grip of this destructive policy. Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Gordon Brown, was one of those who failed to turn up and vote, despite his rhetoric against the Bedroom Tax. A campaign release on Gordon Brown’s website details how he has encouraged his constituents to sign a petition opposing the tax. Petitions dont change the law. Votes in Parliament change the law, yet when presented with an opportunity to vote against the bedroom tax he wasnt there. To refrain from voting on such an important issue for your constituents is incomprehensible. Gordon Brown and his Labour colleagues need to explain their absence at this critical vote. The SNP’s position on this issue is clear, but without support from the opposition in Westminster we are helpless to reverse it. This incident shows that we cant trust Labour to scrap the bedroom tax. The SNP will scrap the bedroom tax as soon as the Scottish Parliament has the power to do so, and the only way to give the Scottish Parliament the power to scrap the bedroom tax it to vote YES next year.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:33:20 +0000
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