On 21 February 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government’s new housing benefit regulations are lawful.
The challenge to the ‘bedroom tax’ was brought by five disabled social housing tenants and backed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. They claimed that the new regulations were unlawful because they discriminated against disabled people contrary to Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights and they were introduced in breach of the Equality Duty. The Court of Appeal rejected both these arguments.
Ugo Hayter from the law firm Leigh Day who is representing two people with disabilities who argue that their second bedroom is essential, said: We are extremely disappointed by this Judgment and we are baffled by the findings of the Court of Appeal.
Reports of the judgment: the Guardian, the Telegraph and Channel 4 News