Social housing bosses want to reassure pensioners after an elderly man hanged himself after expressing concerns about the bedroom tax.

Maidstone council’s head of revenues and benefits shared service, Steve McGinnes, spoke to the Kent Messenger this week after our report on 74-year-old Charles Barden.

An inquest held last Wednesday, heard how Mr Barden, of South Park Road, had voiced worries about his finances and the possibility of losing his three-bedroom home because of changes to housing benefits.

Regulations, which came into force in April, recommend people with one or more spare room face a rent increase or could be asked to move to a smaller property.

It’s not known whether Mr Barden, whose body was found on the 19th anniversary of his wife’s death in October last year, was aware pensioners are in fact exempt from the so-called ‘bedroom tax’.

The coroner was told how Mr Barden was concerned after a person who claimed to be a council worker inspected his home, but both the council and Golding Homes have no record of any employees attending the address.

Mr McGinnes said: “This is a very sad case, especially as Mr Barden would not have been affected by the benefit reform.

“The council worked closely with Golding Homes before and after the changes were implemented, and I’m confident we did enough to ensure people had the facts. Notices were regularly published in Golding Homes’ newsletter, which would have specified who was affected and who wasn’t.”

Jillie Smithies, Golding Homes’ director of operations, said: “We were saddened to hear about the death of Mr Barden and extend our condolences to his family.

“We would certainly urge our tenants to contact us if they have any concerns or worries and would be happy to talk it through with them on an individual basis.”

Mr Barden, who has two children from his first marriage, was step-father to his second wife’s three daughters, including Alison Whittington.

Mrs Whittington said his death came as a shock as her sisters had spoken to their step-dad about his finance worries. She added Mr Barden had never got over the death of her mum, although he remained active, he was lonely .