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| Disabled families await housing benefits cuts ruling | Disabled families await housing benefits cuts ruling |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The High Court is to rule on whether cuts to housing benefit for social housing residents with spare bedrooms discriminates against disabled people. | |
| Lawyers for 10 families brought a judicial review over the lower payments for people in homes deemed too large. | Lawyers for 10 families brought a judicial review over the lower payments for people in homes deemed too large. |
| They say the change - called a bedroom tax by critics - breaches their clients' human rights because they need the extra space for health reasons. | They say the change - called a bedroom tax by critics - breaches their clients' human rights because they need the extra space for health reasons. |
| Ministers say it helps control welfare costs and frees up social housing. | Ministers say it helps control welfare costs and frees up social housing. |
| About 660,000 working-age social housing households judged to have too many bedrooms have lost an average of £14 per week since their benefit was cut at the beginning of April. | About 660,000 working-age social housing households judged to have too many bedrooms have lost an average of £14 per week since their benefit was cut at the beginning of April. |
| The families, all disabled or the parents of disabled children, challenged the changes during a three-day hearing in May. | The families, all disabled or the parents of disabled children, challenged the changes during a three-day hearing in May. |
| The claimants are represented by three law firms and are from various places including London, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and Birmingham. | The claimants are represented by three law firms and are from various places including London, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and Birmingham. |
| Their lawyers argued the benefit cut violated the Human Rights Act and Equality Act. | Their lawyers argued the benefit cut violated the Human Rights Act and Equality Act. |
| Ugo Hayter from Leigh Day, which is representing two of the claimants said the legislation was "unfair" and had "disproportionate negative consequences on disabled people and is therefore discriminatory". | Ugo Hayter from Leigh Day, which is representing two of the claimants said the legislation was "unfair" and had "disproportionate negative consequences on disabled people and is therefore discriminatory". |
| The lawyers also said the £25m the government has made available to councils to make discretionary payments to help disabled people affected by the benefit cuts is insufficient. | The lawyers also said the £25m the government has made available to councils to make discretionary payments to help disabled people affected by the benefit cuts is insufficient. |
| There has been fierce political argument about the new housing benefit rules, which supporters of the change say withdraws a "spare room subsidy". | There has been fierce political argument about the new housing benefit rules, which supporters of the change say withdraws a "spare room subsidy". |
| The government says the benefit changes were intended to reduce a £21bn annual housing benefit bill and encourage greater mobility in the social rented sector. | The government says the benefit changes were intended to reduce a £21bn annual housing benefit bill and encourage greater mobility in the social rented sector. |
| The Department of Work and Pensions said it was confident the measures were lawful and do not discriminate against disabled claimants or those with shared care of children. | The Department of Work and Pensions said it was confident the measures were lawful and do not discriminate against disabled claimants or those with shared care of children. |
| At the time of the High Court case, a DWP spokesman said it was "only right" to bring back fairness to the system and pointed out there were "two million households on the social housing waiting list and over a quarter of a million tenants... living in overcrowded homes". | At the time of the High Court case, a DWP spokesman said it was "only right" to bring back fairness to the system and pointed out there were "two million households on the social housing waiting list and over a quarter of a million tenants... living in overcrowded homes". |
| The DWP added that an extra £150m in total has been made available to councils' funding for vulnerable claimants. | The DWP added that an extra £150m in total has been made available to councils' funding for vulnerable claimants. |
| However, the National Housing Federation said earlier this month that the consequences of the change were worse than feared, | However, the National Housing Federation said earlier this month that the consequences of the change were worse than feared, |
| Rent arrears have soared in some areas while larger houses are lying empty as people refuse to move into them, it claimed. | Rent arrears have soared in some areas while larger houses are lying empty as people refuse to move into them, it claimed. |