A grandmother has become the first council tenant in Caerphilly County Borough to win a tribunal appeal against the ‘Bedroom Tax’.
Karen Jenkins, 43, from Cefn Fforest, argued that a spare room in her house was too small to be used as a bedroom.
A tribunal held in Newport on April 3 agreed and ruled that the room, measuring 66sq ft was too small.
The ruling is worth £11 a week to the grandmother of five.
The so-called ‘Bedroom Tax’ cuts housing benefit to claimants if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom.
Payments have been cut by 14% for those with one spare bedroom and 25% for two or more spare bedrooms.
Ms Jenkins, who lives with her daughter and granddaughter, said Caerphilly County Borough Council told her she had no grounds for appeal.
She was originally awarded a discretionary housing payment from the council throughout her daughter’s pregnancy.
She said: “It feels great. We’ve won the appeal and hopefully it will encourage others people to do the same.”
She added: “I appealed on principle because the bedroom was too small and the council were telling me I couldn’t appeal.”
A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We note the findings of the appeal and the authority is now liaising with the Department of Work and Pension about the decision. We are unable to comment on individual cases.
“It is important that residents understand that the council has been tasked with the implementation of the ‘Bedroom Tax’, which is a Central Government initiative.
“We are working hard to support tenants that are affected by the changes.”
Cardiff and South Wales Against the Bedroom Tax said it was currently lodging hundreds of similar appeals to benefits tribunals across Wales.
Spokesman Jamie Insole said: “We have filed in excess of 50 cases in Cardiff, 10 in Merthyr Tydfil and 10 in Bridgend and we have 15 waiting to be filed in Bridgend and 30 waiting to be filed in Newport.
“So far, we know of three appeals won in Wales after going to tribunal – one in Aberystwyth, one in Monmouth and now this one, which went before a tribunal in Newport.”
I’m sure that if Karen Jenkins owned the house herself and was selling it for a profit she would argue with any estate agent in the land that her spare room was in fact a bedroom because a bed would fit into it and would want the sale price to reflect this fact.
43 and a grandmother? If her grandchild was born this year, that suggests she or her daughter gave birth in their early twenties. Neither were probably financially stable to have children and rely heavily on state help, further reinforced by the fact her daughter and grandchild live at her home. Can’t the daughter move in with the father and have a happy family life? More than likely both were teenage mothers and neither want to learn a skill to get a reasonably paying job. It would surprise me if the mother and father were still together. It’s Jeremy Kyle material… Even traditional families are on the way out. Coupled with the 12 and 13 year old parents from earlier in the week, we can safely say Britain well and truly does, have a broken society!
Awful! Here is another woman whose rent I need to help subsidise through my taxes. As Paul pointed out, her stance would change if she was selling the house. She doesn’t care though as it’s not her money and she just wants as much from the state as possible.
The term ‘bedroom tax’ annoys me! It’s not a tax it’s just not paying you more than you qualify for given the size of the house, should be grateful you are getting anything!!