A SECOND bedroom tax protest is taking place in Worcester as organisers vow they will not give up in their fury at the policy.
Campaigners have revealed they will return to the city’s Croft Road car park later this month to stage a sleep-out protest.
Unlike last month’s event, which took place overnight, this time it will be done during the day in a bid to boost the turnout.
Noel Kennedy, aged 46, of Battenhall, who is organising the sleep-out, said: “Last time we did this, a lot of people said they would have turned up if we did it in the day.
“So that’s the thinking behind this one – to see if we can get high numbers to come out and get involved.
“People are still furious about the bedroom tax and we will continue to protest until the Government gets the message.
“We said first time around that it wouldn’t be the last time we did this, so we are sticking by that.”
The protest will get under way from 9am on Saturday, September 28, and run until about 6pm.
People are again being encouraged to take sleeping bags with them, to illustrate the impact the campaigners say it could have on households.
Lisa Sharples, 51, of Ronkswood, who has family affected by the policy, said: “I reckon they are right to kick up a fuss about this.
“People can’t afford to pay what is being asked of them. You wonder how anyone will be able to sort themselves out.
“If you’re on the breadline you need money to eat, feed the family, and those basics alone aren’t easy to fund.”
Under the bedroom tax, officially known as the spare room subsidy, council house tenants get reduced housing benefit for having spare bedrooms.
The cut is 14 per cent for one empty bedroom or 25 per cent for two, with the resident asked to pay the difference or downsize.
It came into force in April, and has already survived one High Court legal challenge.
The protest is being organised primarily via social networking site Facebook.
For more details, e-mail noel3003@gmail.com.
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