GRANDPARENTS Terry and Elva Williams feel they have been branded ‘scroungers’ after their benefits were slashed due to new Government policy.
The couple, who live in Blacon Point Road, Blacon, are angry at the unfairness of the ‘bedroom tax’ which is now costing them £12-a-week in housing benefit simply because they want to support their family.
They moved from a one-bed flat to a two-bed housing trust property 18 months ago so their grandchildren could stay overnight to give their parents a break.
This is especially because five-year-old Jasmine has autism – and her mum Angela suffers from the chronic condition fibromyalgia – while eight-year-old Abbie has severe anxiety.
But the spare bedroom means the couple began losing benefit from April 1 and they now wonder if they should have stayed put.
Elva, 55, who appeared on ITV1’s Daybreak to talk about the bedroom tax on Monday, said: “We were so happy when we got this place. We spent the last of our savings on this house. We decorated, we had it carpeted and had the garden all done and got the kerb dropped.”
Elva said they had both worked and paid taxes since leaving school but had struggled to find employment after being made redundant a couple of years ago.
“We have always worked but we are being stigmatised as benefits scroungers who shouldn’t be given anything,” said Mrs Williams. “It’s not like you can just pack your bags and move back into a one bedroom place because there’s none available.”
Mrs Williams, who took part in the Chester demo against the bedroom tax and plans to join a national protest in London, said changes to council tax benefit were costing them another £3 a week.
She said her husband recently competed against 1,000 applicants for a hospital porter’s post after losing his factory job in 2010. “They are classing everybody on benefits as scroungers but we are applying for jobs all the time,” she added.
