Commissioner says government has made mess of means testing

A Castletown commissioner says he thinks the government’s made a real mess of means testing for social housing.

Kevin Weir, who sits on Castletown’s board, says he can barely believe the Department of Social Care doesn’t have the powers to means test, despite the then Minister Chris Robertshaw MHK announcing he would do so earlier this year.

Mr Weir says the wait for new laws that would introduce such a system will mean those in real need are missing out.

And he says the debate was sparked by an announcement that 5 per cent of those in public sector housing are among the top 25 per cent of earners on the Island: