AlisonM
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Conservative chairman Grant Shapps has condemned as an "absolute disgrace" a UN official's critical comments on the government's housing benefit changes.
Mr Shapps said he would be writing to the UN secretary general to protest.
He claimed the UN official Raquel Rolnik failed to meet any ministers or officials, was biased and had wrongly called the "spare room subsidy" policy "the bedroom tax".
Ms Rolnik says her recommendation is for the policy to be axed.
Under the government's benefit changes social tenants deemed to have more bedrooms than they need have had their housing benefit reduced since April.
Ministers say private sector renters do not get spare rooms for free, and argue the change will save around ?500m a year and free up much needed larger properties.
Ms Rolnik told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she had received "hundreds of testimonies" and said there was a "danger of a retrogression in the right to adequate housing" in the UK.../
Mr Shapps said he would be writing to the UN secretary general to protest.
He claimed the UN official Raquel Rolnik failed to meet any ministers or officials, was biased and had wrongly called the "spare room subsidy" policy "the bedroom tax".
Ms Rolnik says her recommendation is for the policy to be axed.
Under the government's benefit changes social tenants deemed to have more bedrooms than they need have had their housing benefit reduced since April.
Ministers say private sector renters do not get spare rooms for free, and argue the change will save around ?500m a year and free up much needed larger properties.
Ms Rolnik told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she had received "hundreds of testimonies" and said there was a "danger of a retrogression in the right to adequate housing" in the UK.../