SHAC Art Space

Artwork by Arti Dillon

“Eyes on the Prize, Hold on“

Indian ink

April 2025

Around the time of its contentious implementation, the impact of the Bedroom Tax cast a long shadow over the lives of hundreds of thousands. Championed by the Tory and Liberal coalition government – legislation that, alongside many others, remains entrenched today – it was presented as a pragmatic solution to encourage those deemed to have ‘extra’ space in social housing to downsize.

This narrative, however, gave scant consideration to the practical realities: the quality and accessibility of alternative housing, the safety and security of new locales, and the deeply personal ties that bind individuals to their communities.

The government’s rationale also conveniently sidestepped the elephant in the room: the burgeoning welfare benefits bill was significantly inflated by the exorbitant rents demanded in the private rented sector. Yet, the focus fell squarely on social housing tenants.

Approximately 660,000 individuals and families – nearly 20% of those in social housing receiving benefits – were targeted. Our protests, our organised resistance, our impassioned lobbying did yield some minor concessions, but the broader assault of that era of austerity cut deep across society.

The complex relationship between the trade union movement and the New Labour legacy further complicated the landscape for effective political alternatives and unified action.

Crucially, the overwhelming body of research on the Bedroom Tax’s impact revealed a stark truth: the availability of suitable and affordable smaller properties was severely limited.

Even where housing theoretically existed, many households understandably preferred not to uproot their lives or faced insurmountable constraints – local employment, children’s schooling, vital family networks – rendering the prospect of moving prohibitively costly, both emotionally and practically.

For many of us caught in this legislative net, the consequences were far-reaching and devastating. Court summons arrived, mountains of legal paperwork accumulated, and we faced the often-bitter pronouncements of judges who seemed to view the situation through the lens of their own finances, imposing repayment plans that bore little relation to our actual income or assets. The policy wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was a direct attack on our security and well-being.

Whilst we mask our rebellion and resistance from the outside world, it takes an cumulative toll. You live constantly adding up every penny, every worry, every diminishing option, until it’s almost impossible to decide what to do. The mental load is crushing. Then occasionally, oh blessed state, you try to escape – a break, a hangover, the temporary respite of a different protest. Moments of escape are not luxuries; but desperate attempts to keep from the overwhelm.

The legacy of Thatcher’s housing policies, largely untouched by subsequent governments, continues to shape our reality. Council housing stock has been drastically reduced through sales and transfers to housing associations.

Meanwhile, the state continues to subsidise landlords through housing benefit payments and local council deals, and shakey deals, that often allow them to neglect their responsibilities and provide increasingly substandard housing. The Bedroom Tax compounded this crisis, exacerbating the shortage of affordable housing and further marginalising 1/2 a million of us.

There are alternatives. Instead of relying on benefit caps and policies like the Bedroom Tax, which disproportionately harm low-income tenants, the government could implement robust rent caps. Evidence suggests that tackling the root cause of the problem – spiralling rents – could actually save billions in the long term by reducing the need for such extensive housing benefit payments. This approach would provide greater security and stability for tenants, preventing the displacement and hardship caused by policies like the Bedroom Tax.

It’s about lives & money
Hundreds of thousands, Squeezed.
Homes ain’t homes, they’re a dysfunctional set,

We’re family, yeah? But they target us, again
A source of anxiety,
Shame’s the shadow.
Blown up large by the powers that be

With the obsession of surveillance and CCTV
Throwing the images back at us
Whilst another few 000’s drop into the pockets
Of their paymasters

The politics of Mould,
A story from the old
The walls hardly up
As the water creates black holes
staring pack at us

As Rats dance around the estate
Catching clouds into rooms,
We’re dancing with their dirt.
In Security? Eroded.
Community? Dismantled. Dignity? A quiet kill.

Crude truth on paper, not canvas
A Struggle with Indian ink, Harsh lines, muted tones,
Bedroom Tax, another weight to bear
As the walls are pretty clad,
dangerous impostors

Empty promises float,
From publicity and CON sultations that gloat
Ghosts of houses, a stark parade, empty
Privatisation always has a bigger cost, Individual pain. We’re trapped, contained
But we know there’s always another way…