Westminster continues with Bedroom Tax

The SNP Scottish Government continues to shield households from the bedroom tax – a policy imposed by the Tories and now maintained by Keir Starmer’s Labour government. New figures show that in 2025-26 alone, the Scottish Government has already paid £2,908,066 on behalf of eligible residents across West Lothian and Falkirk, preventing vulnerable families from being hit by a policy Scotland has opposed from day one.

The bedroom tax was introduced in 2013. The SNP acted immediately to fully mitigate it in Scotland, and we’ve done so every year since. Despite promising to review it before the election, the Labour government has kept the policy in place – leaving the Scottish Government to clean up Westminster’s mess more than a decade on.

Local SNP candidate Martyn Day said the contrast is stark.

“While Westminster governments of all parties keep squeezing the most vulnerable, your SNP Government is getting on with protecting people.

“We stepped in to mitigate the bedroom tax from the start, and this year alone that means £2,908,066 spent shielding households across West Lothian and Falkirk from a deeply unfair Westminster policy.

“The UK parties can’t be relied on to stand up for communities like ours. Only the SNP will always put Scotland first.”