Victory over Bedroom Tax for people with severe disabilites welcomed

Victory over Bedroom Tax for people with severe disabilites is welcomed

A Southport Councillor has welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court over the imposition of the Bedroom Tax (Spare Room Subsidy) on people who need extra space because of their disabilities.

Southport resident Ms Jacqueline Carmicheal has won her case today (9th November 2016) in a landmark decision announced in the Supreme Court this morning.

https://www.supremecourt.uk/watch/uksc-2014-0125/judgment.html

https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2014-0125-press-summary.pdf

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2016/58.html

Councillor Dawson said:

“Local Lib Dems took up this matter with the Minister from March 2013 onwards, calling for the government to recognise the need for flexibility to deal with people who need extra accommodation due to disability. Unfortunately, the requests, fell on deaf ears. The Minister, Lord Freud, responded that:

“It would be extremely difficult to prescribe the circumstances where extra help may be required” ”

and insisted on leaving it to local Councils to address each case individually for discretionary rather than statutory payments of Housing Benefit.”

The Supreme Court has unanimously agreed that this is not a lawful form of discrimination and has required the government to recognise the clear circumstances in which people with severe disabilities are entitled to have their need for extra space assessed automatically under the statutory scheme.

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