SIR, I understand that the Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi is calling for child benefit to be limited to be payable for two children.

If this proposal succeeds and is implemented after the 2015 General Election, apparently it will apply to those who decided to have more than two children after then but not to those who currently do.

This ethos will show inconsistency in the manner this Government implements new methods for financial clawbacks.

For this I refer to the ‘bedroom tax’. If the same reasoning was used as being proposed by Mr Zahawi then the bedroom tax would/should apply only to new tenants, not existing/long-term tenants.

Tenants have been penalised because it is recognised that there are not enough smaller properties for many tenants to downsize to.

In my personal view, because of the terms of the transfer of housing stock in SODC there are grounds for those tenants who were transferred to make a legal challenge to the bedroom tax.

If the Government proposes that child benefit be restricted in the way explained above then fairness demands they should apply the same criteria for the bedroom tax and not in effect penalise retrospectively.

Sue Such, Didcot