Emma Harrison, Assistant Director of External Relations at Mencap says:
Mencap welcomes the part of today's ruling requiring the government The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work. to put disabled childrens' right to an extra bedroom into regulation. However, adult couples with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. , many of whom have additional physical and health needs, will be left struggling to understand how the court can recognise childrens' needs but not the needs of adults in the same situation, who need a bedroom of their own for reasons relating to their disability.
We welcome the campaigners’ determination to take the issue to the Court of Appeal To appeal means saying you want someone to think about a decision again. and hope it will recognise how the ‘bedroom tax Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like income tax Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools. , VAT VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals. and council tax Council A council is also called a local authority A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. Tax is the money that people pay to the council A council is also called a local authority A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . ’ discriminates against disabled adults as well as children.
Also today the government has announced a further £30 million of discretionary Discretionary means it is up to somebody to decide if you get something. housing payments. This is a sticking plaster that will not stop families hit by the bedroom tax from being plunged into poverty, with the government's own estimates showing 420,000 disabled people will be hit.
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Notes to editors
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk.
About Mencap
There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university. , employment Employment means having a job. and leisure Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub. facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap Direct on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk.
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.
People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complex information and interact with other people. The level of support someone needs depends on individual factors, including the severity of their learning disability.
Learning disability is not a mental illness. The term learning difficulty is often incorrectly used interchangeably with learning disability.