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| Bedroom Tax ruled 'discriminatory' and 'unlawful' by Court of Appeal judges | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Government’s so-called “Bedroom Tax” policy has been declared discriminatory and unlawful by the Court of Appeal. | |
| Judges made the decision following a legal challenge against the Government by a domestic violence victim and the family of a disabled teenager. | Judges made the decision following a legal challenge against the Government by a domestic violence victim and the family of a disabled teenager. |
| The “tax”, which takes the form of a reduction in housing support for people in social housing with spare rooms, was introduced in April 2013 to encourage people to move out of homes they were under occupying. | |
| It has since been criticised for causing poverty, disproportionally affecting the disabled, and affecting people who have nowhere suitable to move to. | |
| The Department for Work and Pensions said it would appeal the decision in the Supreme Court – the UK’s highest legal authority outside the European Court of Human Rights. | |
| One of the two successful appeals was brought by a woman identified as ‘A’ who had been a victim of domestic violence. Her home has been adapted with a panic room. | |
| Her lawyers claimed the policy discriminated against her because she would have to leave a room that had been adapted for her safety. Wheelchair users and disabled people have made similar claims. | |
| The second successful appeal was brought by Paul and Susan Rutherford on behalf of their severely disabled grandson Warren. | |
| Warren suffers from a rare genetic disorder and requires 24 hour care because he cannot walk, talk or feed himself. | |
| The couple was hit by the bedroom tax because they have a room that is used for overnight carers and storing specialist medical equipment. | |
| The court found the policy’s impact on disabled children was contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights. | |
| Labour MP Sarah Champion welcomed the success of the challenges in a tweet, branding the policy a “nasty tax that punishes most vulnerable”. | |
| A DWP spokesman said the people found to have been discriminated against were in receipt of discretionary housing payment – payment provided by councils to cancel out the effects of the “bedroom tax”. | |
| “We are pleased that the court found – once again – that we have complied with the Public Sector Equality Duty,” the spokesperson said in a statement. | |
| “We fundamentally disagree with the court’s ruling on the ECHR, which directly contradicts the High Court. We have already been granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. | |
| “We know there will be people who need extra support. That is why we are giving local authorities over £870m in extra funding over the next five years to help ensure people in difficult situations like these don’t lose out.” |