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Bed tax victory mum 'asked by official to keep on paying'

The family have been squeezed for £13 a week since August through the bedroom tax

The mum of a disabled boy revealed yesterday that she was asked to keep paying the bedroom tax to "balance the books" of a housing association.

Sarah Davies of Bridgend in south Wales was handed a reprieve from the cruel Tory tax on Thursday.

She won the exemption with the help of activists who proved her son Ben, who suffers from cerebal palsy, needed his own room.

But she was left stunned when a housing officer called just half an hour later to see if she would keep paying until April.

She told the Star: "A man phoned, he wasn't nasty or horrible, he just said could you continue paying until the end of the month so it all balances and works out.

"He said it's up to me but would I pay it and I said no.

"I cancelled the direct debit as soon as I got home."

The call came from a senior staff member of housing association Wales and West, from which Ms Davies, her husband and two sons rent their three-bedroom home.

The family have been squeezed for £13 a week since August through the bedroom tax.

Ms Davies said the request to keep coughing up the cash showed the housing officer "doesn't have a clue" about the impact of the bedroom tax.

"It would be a haircut for the kids, a new pair of trainers, a little bit more gas, having friends over or a pizza night for the boys, things like that," she said.

"Things that they should be having, should be enjoying instead of me scrimping and saving and thinking 'Oh my god, I've got to pay this.'"

Ms Davies worked with the Cardiff and South Wales Against the Bedroom Tax campaign to win the exemption.

And campaign spokesman Jamie Insole said: "Whilst some landlords are making every effort to stand by tenants, the failure seen in this case is depressingly familiar.

"We need far greater leadership.

"That's why we will bring together tenants, housing associations, landlords, councils and the Welsh government at a conference in May.

"Meanwhile, we will continue to fight every case."

Wales and West did not respond to a request for comment.

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