SIR: Mrs E Atkinson of Great Lever (BEN April 30), hoped I would help with the 'double whammy' of council tenants who pay rent, contributing through general taxation (as we all do) towards the housing benefit paid to other council tenants, as well as contributing by paying extra rent. I campaigned against this when I chaired Bolton's Housing Committee. Cllr Noel Spencer continues to do so!
Since becoming an MP, I have sponsored an Early Day Motion to highlight this problem and attended Austin Mitchell's adjournment debate on this topic.
I spoke at a lobby organised by The Daylight Robbery campaign and have sent them a small donation. Recently, a small group of Labour MPs went to see Andrew Smith MP, at the Treasury, to lobby him about the way housing revenue accounts were financed. I will continue to press for changes.
Brian Iddon MP
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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