Currently the student loan is counted as income when calculations for housing benefit entitlement are made. I, and many others, believe this is unfair as the loan by definition needs to be repaid and is not an income!

I have raised a petition on the government's e-petitions site and have also contacted my local MP who is keen to promote the cause.

Please consider signing the petition and writing to your MP, the more of us that do, the more weight there will be behind getting the system changed! The rules of the e-petiton site are such that we need a minimum of 200 signatures to have the petition forwarded to the relevent government department...so far we have 91!

This is something that affects ALL students eligible for housing benefit (mostly those with children) and not something restricted to NHS students. Worth noting also, that anyone can show their support by signing the petition, you don't need to be directly (or indirectly) affected by the policy!

Thanks

Petition can be found here http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/student-benefits/

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1st Year Student Midwife
Plymouth, 2007

As far as I know the loan is not taken into consideration, thats what I thought anyway, if your on a degree course, the bursary isn't even taken into consideration, I know the tax credits/council tax etc.. don't class it as income, as its essential things for the course, not like its an added bonus that allows comfortable living now is it?

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Nope both the student loan and bursary most definitly ARE taken into consideration for housing and council tax benefit...but no tax credits ignore both as they are not taxable.

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1st Year Student Midwife
Plymouth, 2007

wow I never knew that I just get the student reduction off our council tax bill (25%) but I know if your on your own, regardless of bursary council tax = 0 well so the girls on the course say. And I thought the bursary give you the housing costs element incorporated, if not we have a scheme at our uni where, if you've got bursary and student loan and are struggling they reward you a hardship fund that you don't have to pay back, a couple on the course have received this x

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Yep it's really frustrating as the loan has to be rapaid so isn't even really income. For some people I've spoken to the way the loan has made the difference betwen getting help with rent and not!

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1st Year Student Midwife
Plymouth, 2007

oh thats so unfair, then tell them you aint got one x

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Unfortunately it doesn't matter if you have the loan or not, if it's available to you they still count it, even if you haven't bothered applying for it!
We went through all of this when we applied lol

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1st Year Student Midwife
Plymouth, 2007

no need the rotters x

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