Government Defeated In Bedroom Tax Case

A couple who had their housing benefit reduced because they were unable to share a bedroom due to a severe disability have defeated the government in court for the second time. In a decision passed down by the Upper Tribunal, the court ruled Jayson and Jacqueline Carmichael should not have been subject to the bedroom tax. A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said they would seek to appeal the decision. The couple successfully challenged the bedroom tax at the Supreme Court last year. The Supreme Court ruled the government had unlawfully discriminated against Ms Carmichael, who has spina bifida and is unable to share a bedroom with her husband and as a result had her housing benefit reduced. Read more on Inside Housing.