A FATHER-of-three from Cirencester says his one-bedroom flat supplied by a housing association is “unfit for purpose”.

Oliver Brooks moved into his current home – which he says is too small for his young children and full of damp and mould – in Cirencester’s Burge Court in 2014 due to the government’s ‘Bedroom Tax’.

The tax means those living in a council or housing association property and claiming housing benefit will receive less money depending on how many spare rooms they have.

Oliver’s then-property in Smythe House in the Waterloo area of town, which he shared with his partner Rebecca, while his three young children also stayed every other weekend, had two bedrooms, which meant he lost 14 per cent of his housing benefit.

Oliver, 33, was unemployed at the time of the move, but is now working as a stove installer and feels the Bedroom Tax left him with no choice but to make the move into a flat which doesn’t take into account the fact that his children regularly stay there.

“Every other weekend I have my three children over,” he said. “We can’t make do with a one-bed flat like this. It’s unfit for purpose.”

He said he has requested a move “into more suitable accommodation” but was “passed around to different people”.

A spokesman for Stonewater said: “We received a report of condensation and damp on November 18. Our surveyor visited on December 11 to carry out an initial inspection. We had attempted access four times prior to this date, but due to Mr Brooks and his partner working full-time this was not possible.

“We wrote to Mr Brooks on January 8 to outline the works we will carry out, and to reiterate our previous recommendations for moisture control and heating temperature guidelines.

“Our contractors completed the majority of the work on February 5, and we have arranged to finalise the works on February 12.

“Stonewater are happy to consider any housing application from a resident if they find their circumstances have changed. We have not received a new housing transfer application from Mr Brooks.”