SIR – Take a nasty, ideologically driven, 19th- century ‘bash the poor’ idea, without any thought for the likely consequences of such a ‘policy’, dress it up with bigoted extremist views to appeal to the unintelligent, unsympathetic individuals in society and what have you got? The bedroom tax.

Now other than the prospects of leaving a neighbourhood they have known all their lives and the friends they have there, moving people into smaller accommodation which may be cheaper and easier to manage may well be a good idea, thereby freeing up up this larger accommodation they have left behind for a larger family unit.

But the blindingly obvious problem with this is that these smaller units just do not exist. The ‘policy’ would only make sense if people could be moved out when the smaller properties are available, not punishing people because they are not.

Therefore I just cannot understand Robin Walker’s statement (Worcester News, October 7) that the ‘policy’ is the ‘right one’ – freeing up more social housing.

This statement clearly does not make any sense in view of the vast numbers of people in rent arrears. For a man from such a privileged background making a statement like this is is an absolute disgrace. May I suggest that, because of the hardship this ‘policy’ is having and will have, that all the county Tory MPs donate 25 per cent of their very generous Parliamentary salary towards food banks.

Andrew Dyke

Pershore