Local councillors have joined the political debate about the so-called Bedroom Tax which it is estimated will affect 1,000 households in the region.
The changes were introduced on Monday, and are hugely controversial and divisive, with council leader David Parker warning the move could cost the Conservatives the next election.
While the future of the political careers of Tories are neither here nor there at this point, Mr Parker does raise the question of why we are in this position in the first place – and why there is such a shortage of suitable social housing in not just the Borders, but Scotland as a whole.
It’s a fair point, and one that many people feel quite emotional about. While much of the housing was sold off under the Tories, subsequent governments did very little about changing the situation, even though it’s been evident to many for years that there is a lack of decent social housing in Scotland. And as a consequence families are forced into the private sector.
It may not be fair that the benefit is not available to those in private housing, as Michelle Ballantyne suggests, but a fairer way to have dealt with this would have been to make it available until such a time as there was enough suitable social housing to allow for proper matching.
Many of the tenants using such accommodation are vulnerable and on low incomes already. This just makes a bad situation worse.