THE Labour Group for Monmouth have expressed their "outrage" that MP David Davies voted against exempting disabled people from the bedroom tax. A private members bill which was debated in the House of Commons on Friday 5th September proposed to exempt tenants from the bedroom tax if they need an extra room for medical reasons or if the property has undergone substantial adaptations to help them live. Over 532 are affected by the bedroom tax in Monmouthshire of which 192 residents in receipt of disability living allowance are now applying for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, leader of the Labour group at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC), said: "I am really disappointed in Mr Davies. "He had a chance to stand up for some of his most vulnerable residents, but chose not to. He has badly let down those disabled people in Monmouthshire who have had to apply for emergency funds to help with their rent arrears caused by the Bedroom Tax. "Their suffering doesn't seem to bother him, but it disturbs the Monmouthshire Labour group." Ruth Jones, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Monmouth Constituency, said: "We're talking here about people who need an extra room for essential equipment such as hoists and oxygen cylinders; about seriously or terminally ill people who need to sleep on hospital beds and so cannot share a room with their partner who cares for them, and about parents caring 24/7 for disabled children who need a room for a care worker to stay in so that they can have a break from caring. "I know from my work as a physiotherapist in the community that these so-called spare bedrooms are absolutely essential, and yet people in these circumstances have been driven into debt for the first time in their lives by the Bedroom Tax." The Labour Party went on to say they plan to abolish the bedroom tax. MP David Davies has defended his stance on the bedroom tax. He said: "I understand the concerns about these new rules. "However, I believe that when there are 250,000 social housing tenants living in overcrowded accommodation and over two million people on waiting lists, it is unacceptable for the Government to subsidise people to live in accommodation that is too big for their actual needs. "Many ordinary people are not in a financial position to afford a spare room. This measure seeks to ensure that housing benefit be much fairer to taxpayers, and will be spent directly on people's needs. "Claimants who are above working age will be exempt from this measure, so pensioners will not be affected by the new rules. In addition, provisions have been put in place to accommodate carers who may need to stay overnight in a property from time to time. "The Government has set aside £50 million of discretionary funding to ease the transition, which local authorities will be able to allocate to any difficult cases that may arise. "This could include foster carers who may need to keep an extra bedroom spare in an emergency and disabled people whose home has been heavily adapted."