Independent research into the impact of the spare rooms’ subsidy has been ordered by the Government, Nick Clegg has announced. Mr Clegg said the study was needed to find out whether tenants could opt to take a smaller house or flat to avoid a deduction in their benefits. “I have seen lots of widely different figures being cited about the impact of this policy – that is why we are commissioning independent research to exactly understand the impact of this. I suspect it varies enormously between one part of the country and another, and one local authority and another,” the Deputy Prime Minister comments. Reports appear in Today’s papers as follows: The Times, Page: 22 The Daily Telegraph, Page: 18

County Councillor Bill Winlow says “I very much welcome this study.  I have always thought that it was wrong to reduce benefits to people  for having extra bedrooms when no alternatiuve accommodation is available”