Young Adult Carers' Housing Needs Still Overlooked

The housing needs of young adult carers are still being overlooked, according to a review by education and training think-tank the Learning & Work Institute. The institute warns that "unsustainable caring arrangements and breakdowns in family relationships" combined with a general shortage of housing options means some young adult carers are living in situations "which have a serious impact on their physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing".  Despite this, "young adult carers do not appear to be recognised as a group requiring specific housing-related support," the policy review concludes. There is also no specific data on the extent of homelessness among the group. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2007132/young-adult-carers-housing-needs-still-overlooked

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Frank Field:  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2017 to Question 60098, what progress has been made on amending the regulations governing the under-occupancy penalty.

Caroline Nokes: The regulations in relation to two Supreme Court judgments concerning the removal of the spare room subsidy were laid on 2 March 2017 and will come into force on 1 April 2017. From this date an additional bedroom will be allowed, subject to certain criteria, where a disabled child or adult non-dependant requires a non-resident overnight carer (or team of carers); or where a couple one of whom (or both) are disabled and those disabilities prevent them from sharing a bedroom.

Supreme Court Bedroom Tax Breakthrough

The country’s highest court, the Supreme Court, has ruled that the Government discriminated against a disabled woman and her husband and a severely disabled child who needs overnight care through the implementation of the ‘bedroom tax’. The Supreme Court judges dismissed the Government’s appeal in the case of CPAG’s clients Paul and Susan Rutherford who provide around-the-clock care for their disabled grandson and who have a third bedroom for overnight carers. CPAG acted for the Rutherfords who had successfully challenged the bedroom tax scheme in the Court of Appeal which held the policy unlawfully discriminates against children with disabilities who need overnight care. Read more on the CPAG website.

Government Spends £100,000 On Lawyers To Defend The Bedroom Tax

The DWP has spent over £100,000 on lawyers fighting a court battle to save its controversial “bedroom tax” policy. Ministers were told that the under-occupancy charge – which mainly affects disabled people – was “unlawful” and “discriminatory” by the Court of Appeal in January. The Government had been taken to court by the parents of a severely disabled child, who were forced to pay the charge on a room slept in by overnight carers and used to store specially adapted equipment. Around £50,000 of taxpayers’ cash was spent fighting the vulnerable people’s claims. Now new figures disclosed by ministers show £52,299 extra has already been spent on legal costs. Read more on the Independent website.

Labour Attempts To Water Down Pay To Stay

Labour MPs have tabled a series of amendments to proposed legislation in an attempt to water down the government’s Pay to Stay policy.  Shadow ministers are attempting to alter the government’s plans to force higher-income social housing tenants to pay up to market rent. Under the proposed policy, tenants with a household income of £30,000 or more (£40,000 in London) would pay higher rents. Labour is seeking exemptions for people aged 65 years or older, carers, those in receipt of care, disabled people, people on zero-hours contracts, people on housing benefit and those with seasonal contracts of employment.  This follows concern that the £30,000 threshold is too low and will lead to some housing benefit claimants having to pay more rent. Read more on Inside Housing.

Council Tax Rises Hit Britain’s Poor Hardest

More than two million of the poorest people in England are facing rising council tax demands this year because of fresh Government cuts to the benefit system, new figures reveal today. War widows, carers and the disabled are among 2.31 million people who used to be entitled to council tax benefit but have now had their support substantially reduced or taken away altogether. As a result, significant numbers of families have been pushed into debt, with a survey revealing that nearly 16,000 people in London alone have been referred to the bailiffs for non-payment. Read more on the Independent website.

Bedroom Tax Human Rights Ruling Could Lead To 420,000 Similar Appeals

A disabled woman and her husband have won a landmark victory after a judge ruled they were exempt from paying the Bedroom Tax. Spina bifida sufferer Jacqueline Carmichael and 24-hour carer Jayson were told the Tory-led Coalition’s hated charge ­contravened their human rights. Jacqueline, 42, uses a wheelchair, is unable to walk and sleeps on an electronic mattress which helps relieve bed sore pressure. Their flat is so small two beds cannot be squeezed together and she and Jayson are physically unable to sleep in the same room. The couple took their local council in Sefton, Merseyside, to Liverpool civil court, where a tribunal judge heard their benefits appeal this month. Another 420,000 disabled people are affected by the tax and the verdict could pave the way for some to launch similar appeals. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Tebbit: Bedroom Tax Will Cost Tories

Lord Tebbit has warned the Conservative Party that the bedroom tax will cost them votes at next year's general election. The Tory grandee spoke out against the controversial under-occupation penalty during an event in parliament hosted by the Bow Group. Delivering the right-wing think-tank's first Annual State of the Conservative Party Address, he said the chances of the Conservatives winning the next election were "not looking too hopeful". "I worry about what Labour chooses to call the bedroom tax," he said. "Because so often what is a spare room is in fact a vital part of the looking after an elderly person. It enables their relatives to come, it enables carers to be there." He added: "I think we introduced that rather without thinking it through very well, and I think that's costing us." Read more on 24dash.

Bedroom Tax Hits 60,000 Families with Carers

About 60,000 families living in council homes where there is someone caring for an elderly or disabled relative have been caught out by the “bedroom tax”. Answering a written question in the Commons, the Welfare minister, Esther McVey, revealed: “Around 60,000 households affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy policy are in receipt of carer’s allowance or have an underlying entitlement to carer’s allowance.” The revelation follows a letter from the Disability Benefits Consortium, which represents 50 charities, pleading for disabled people and their carers to be exempt from the removal of the spare room subsidy. Read more on the Independent website.

Disabled 'Forced To Cut Back On Food and Heating' To Pay Bedroom Tax

Nine in 10 disabled people and three quarters of carers affected by the bedroom tax are having to cut back on food and heating in order to pay their rent. The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), a national coalition of more than 50 charities, revealed the findings in a letter to Iain Duncan Smith which called on the government to take immediate action to exempt disabled people, their families and carers from the controversial policy. The letter points to "stark evidence" that shows disabled people are not being protected from the controversial policy despite government claims to the contrary. Read more on 24dash.

Bedroom Tax Forces Carers to Cut Back On Food

Carers are being forced to cut back on essentials such as food and electricity because of the so-called bedroom tax. Despite Government promises to protect them from the under-occupancy charge, one in six carers forced to pay it are falling behind on their rent and face eviction, research by Carers UK shows.  Campaigners say the charge on ‘spare’ bedrooms in social housing has had a particularly devastating impact on those caring for disabled family members, who often need the extra room. Three quarters of carers having to pay it are being forced to cut back on essential spending on food, electricity and heating.  Read more on the Independent website.

No ‘Spare’ Bedroom for a Non-Resident Overnight Disabled Carer

In the post immediately below this one, Steve Webb was at pains to state that a spare room is allowed for a non-resident carer, “…to be clear for the record” he says and goes on to repeat “…a spare bedroom is allowed for a non-resident carer.”

Steve Webb, to be clear and for the record, you have misled parliament and that is not the case at all!  The absolute fact of the matter is that a non-resident carer is ONLY allowed a spare bedroom when that non-resident carer is delivering the care for the tenant or the partner of a tenant.  The non-resident carer does not see a spare bedroom exempted in a household where the care is provided to anyone else.  If the person being cared for is not the tenant or the partner of the tenant the bedroom charge does NOT allow the non-resident carer a spare bedroom exemption.  Read more on the Speye blog.

Under-occupancy Penalty (Nottingham) – Parliamentary Debate (2)

Steve Webb: To be clear, the rules allow for a non-resident carer who has to stay overnight to have a room...a spare bedroom is allowed for a non-resident carer.

Steve Webb: …to be clear for the record, a spare bedroom is allowed for a non-resident overnight carer and it is important that he does not alarm people about the issue. 

Charities Concerns for Disabled People and Housing Benefit Changes

Seven charities have written to George Osborne calling for carers and disabled people to be exempt from the controversial bedroom tax.  In a joint letter the charities warn that carers and disabled people hit by the penalty will be unable to cover the shortfall and could be forced to move or fall into arrears and debt.  The charities are concerned there is no exemption for carers who live with the people they care for or for people unable to share rooms because of illness or disability.  Read the full letter on the Disability Rights UK website.

Supreme Court Paves Way for ‘Bedroom Tax’ Appeal

The Supreme Court has granted the Government permission to challenge a ruling which held that the housing benefit regulations discriminate against disabled people - a move which could have implications for the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ set to hit social tenants from next April. In a unanimous ruling back in May this year, the Court of Appeal (COA) held that the size criteria in the current housing benefit regulations (currently only applying to claimants living in private rented housing) discriminate against disabled people by not allowing an additional room where the disabled person has a carer or where two children cannot share a room because of disability. Read more on 24dash.