A COUPLE who are desperate to move into a smaller council house said bedroom tax means they are stuck where they are.

Mr Thompson, who did not wish to give his first name, lives with his girlfriend in Princes Risborough in a three bedroom house.

Their landlord is the housing association, Red Kite Housing.

Due to a recent change in circumstances they are keen to move into a one bedroom flat but at the moment are unable to do so.

He said their situation is not unique adding: "We are desperate to downsize but have found there is a serious shortage of one bedroom houses. The only ones available seem to be sheltered housing for elderly people who are exempt from bedroom tax anyway.

"We have found a couple in a one bed flat who would exchange with us but we have about £1,000 rent arrears so Red Kite Housing will not let us exchange until they are paid. The arrears keep going up due to the shortfall in our housing benefit due to the bedroom tax so the longer we stay here the more in debt we become."

Mr Thompson said they need to stay in the area as they both have mental health problems, and have a good support network where they are.

Red Kite spokesman, Zosia Katnik, said they are there to support all their tenants and just under 400 are affected by a reduction in their housing benefit where they have one or more spare bedrooms.

She said: "Tenants who have one or more spare bedrooms can apply for a mutual exchange which can be done by registering on the easy-to-use Home Swapper website - www.homeswapper.co.uk. By providing just a simple set of details about what kind of home they are looking for, tenants can browse for suitable alternative homes as and when they become available.

"We also have a dedicated member of staff on-hand to help match people for these types of exchanges. As part of all our Tenancy Agreements, mutual exchanges can take place if rent accounts have no arrears, but we will consider exceptional cases where we are able to agree a repayment plan with tenants.

"The success of this scheme depends on the availability of homes in the area and by registering on Home Swapper, tenants can see a real-time view of what homes are free at any given time and can keep an eye on what becomes available. Mutual exchange is a great opportunity for tenants to find the home they have always wanted, whether that means more space or fewer bedrooms.

"We are developing a support scheme that will help facilitate mutual exchanges between our tenants so that they can minimise the impact of bedroom tax. The support scheme aims to assist tenants with mutual exchanges, which are not subject to financial incentives. We continue to look at other options with some of our partner organisations.

"For anyone who is significantly affected by the bedroom tax, Wycombe District Council have a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) fund that can offer support to individual tenants for a short period of time, however this must be applied for directly with the Council. The Benefits Team can be contacted on 01494 421325."