Only 4% of People in Liverpool Fighting Bedroom Tax Have Had Refunds

Just 4% of people in Liverpool who are fighting the bedroom tax have had the money that was taken away from them paid back. An investigation by the Echo has found that the number of people winning their appeals against having to pay the tax is far higher than the number of people getting their money returned. This is due to the lengthy process they must go through, and the fact that the government is often ready to fight the decisions made by the First Tier Tribunal that decides if people have been unfairly penalised. The Echo has learned that, on average, only 50% of the applications being made for “discretionary housing payments” (DHP) are successful. Social landlords said that many tenants were in crisis, unable to make ends meet and having to wait a long time to discover whether they would have their housing benefit returned. Read more on the Liverpool Echo website.