IN response to Mr A Edwards of Fearnhead in his misguided criticism of the Labour party, this time on the bedroom tax.

I respect that you feel that many families are waiting for bigger homes while others are in homes that are too big. I wonder how this problem arose – maybe it was due to the previous Conservative Government’s policy to sell off the council houses leaving very little stock for future generations. The money raised was not allowed to be reinvested in building new homes.

Most residents in properties that are too big is because there are no small properties to downsize to. To have these residents trapped and then cut their housing benefit is immoral. Yet the Government need only request that councils contact tenants of overcrowded homes and tenants with spare rooms and ask them would they like to swap. Yet why does this Government not do that?

I will let you know what I think – if you leave tenants in the overcrowded house their housing benefit remains the same. If I leave the tenant in a house with spare rooms the Government can cut their benefit and make a saving.

Yet if I swap them over there would be no saving as both houses would be fully occupied.

Let’s be honest, this Government had to make savings to fund that tax cut for the richest 10 per cent which came into force on the same day as the bedroom tax – now that is immoral.

Tony Withers Latchford