NewsThe UK Supreme Court ordered the Birmingham Council on Wednesday to reconsider its decision to declare a single mother of four who could not afford rent, “intentionally homeless.” The court unanimously affirmed Terryann Samuels’ petition to appeal the decision.
The Council declared her intentionally homeless because they argued that she should have used her social benefits to pay her rent and should have made do with welfare payments to feed and take care of her children. Samuels had sought council property in Birmingham due to the shortfall between her housing benefits and the cost of rent, a difference of about £150.
The court held that she should not have had to use her non-housing benefits to cover the rent because her other living expenses were reasonable. In a press release, the justices stated that “consideration of an applicant’s ‘reasonable living expenses’ requires an objective assessment, and not the subjective view of a case officer.”
This ruling has been praised as an important decision for the future of the UK welfare system.
