Debates in Parliament can sometimes be very technical, arguing the finer points of a sub-clause of an obscure piece of legislation that seems a little removed from the realities of life for our constituents.

Not so on Tuesday, as MPs debated a motion to repeal the Bedroom Tax. Some of the stories that came out were horrendous.

We heard descriptions of people driven to illness or worse by the sudden drop in their already very modest income.

We heard tales of families left without food to eat or money to pay ever increasing energy bills.

Most frustratingly of all, we heard stories of people who want to move somewhere smaller but simply cannot, due to the shortage of smaller properties in many areas.

Perversely, some of these people are having to move to more costly private sector accommodation, meaning that their benefits bill is rising rather than falling.

That's why I voted in favour of Labour's motion to scrap the Bedroom Tax - it is a cruel policy that will create great suffering and won't even work on its own terms.

It's a pity that Liberal MPs voted to prop it up, so I was pleased when Ed Miliband committed to repealing it.

There will now be a clear choice at the next General Election - either a Labour Government that will repeal the Bedroom Tax, or a Tory Government who would keep it.

Another impact of the UK Government's choices is being felt in Councils across Britain, as they struggle to cope with savage cuts to their budgets. One of the best things our Welsh Government has done since 2010 is to help protect local services like schools and social care from the worst extremes of 'austerity'. But with approaching £2billion less to spend in Wales compared to three years ago, there's a limit to what they can do.

I was a Councillor for many years and know that deciding on budgets can be tough, but I never had to deal with anything this bad, even under Mrs Thatcher in the 1980s. The Council in my area estimates that it will be forced to save £40 million - approaching a quarter of its net budget - in the next four years.

With less and less money, it's painful to even consider where the axe should fall. We want to invest in our schools, in the vulnerable people who need the help of social services, in our refuse collections and roads - but that leaves almost no-where to turn in order to save such large chunks of money.

Councillors want to protect front line services, but they have my sympathy as they're in an impossible situation