Posted 10.11.16
The Government's "bedroom tax" discriminates unlawfully against some disabled people who need an extra bedroom because of their impairment, but not against others, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The Supreme Court ruled (9th November) that ministers' decision to apply the bedroom tax to disabled people who need an extra bedroom for a clear medical reason, and to families who need an additional bedroom for a disabled child who requires overnight care, was unlawful discrimination.
But other disabled people who need an extra bedroom for impairment-related reasons lost their battle against having to pay the bedroom tax, after the Court ruled in favour of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Court's rulings appear to clash with the findings of a UN committee, which recently said that the Bedroom Tax, the benefits cap and cuts to local housing allowance had "curtailed the right" of disabled people to choose a place to live independently and to be included in the community, under article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). (Source: Disability News Service).
Click here for the judgement
