“This judgement is a great victory for many families whose children have complex needs and require overnight care “
National deafblind charity responds to ruling that Bedroom Tax unlawfully discriminates against families with disabled children
National deafblind charity, Sense, welcomes ruling that that the Bedroom Tax unlawfully discriminates against families with disabled children who need overnight care. The bedroom tax, which reduces housing benefit for social housing tenants with an additional room, has been the subject of numerous legal challenges. Sense is now calling on the government to reconsider their opposition to this judgement.
Richard Kramer, Deputy Chief Executive, at Sense said:
“This judgement is a great victory for many families whose children have complex needs and require overnight care. We’ve been arguing for a considerable amount of time that it is not logical to allow a spare room for overnight carers for adults and not permit the same for children.
Many families who raise children with complex needs already live in poverty. We know from the families we support that the bedroom tax can place more strain on already stretched resources. Parents tell us that they need extra space to store disability-related equipment or to accommodate carers. This is not a case of ‘under-occupying’ a property, it is a necessity.
Today we are calling on the Government to reconsider their opposition to this judgement. Instead of penalising families, it is essential that they do everything possible to support the families who look after disabled children with complex needs.”
