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  One third of disabled people asking for help with 'bedroom tax' have applications rejected
  
  Critics say there is a 'postcode lottery' for grants meant to protect the vulnerable
  
  Almost a third of the disabled people affected by the so-called bedroom tax have had their applications for help with the payments refused by local authorities, a survey has found.
  
  When it brought in the controversial levy on "surplus" bedrooms in council-owned accommodation, the Government said grants known as discretionary housing payments (DHPs) would protect the most vulnerable.
  
  It estimated that around 420,000 disabled people would be affected by the bedroom tax, often because they require additional space for treatment equipment or to provide somewhere for carers to stay.
  
  Yet according to the research from the National Housing Federation, responses from 98 local authorities showed that on average 29 per cent of disabled residents had their requests for a DHP grant turned down.
  
  The survey also highlighted what appears to be a worrying "postcode lottery" of payments. In parts of Kent, the success rate for disabled applicants was just 14 per cent.
  
  Related story: Councils could be banned from using the phrase 'bedroom tax'
  
  Full story Independent.

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