Three legacy benefit claimants win court challenge over drop in DWP disability payments

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Three severely disabled people have won a High Court challenge against the UK Government over "significant" drops in their incomes after they were moved on to the Universal Credit benefits system.

The trio, who cannot be named for legal reasons, brought a claim against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) arguing that payments covering their transition from old legacy benefits to the newer system were unlawful and discriminatory.

Last year, the court heard that two of the people in the case - a man in his 50s known as TP with a terminal illness and AR, another man in his 40s who suffers from bipolar disorder - were required to make a new Universal Credi t claim after moving to new homes in different local authority areas.

This "trigger event" meant the pair faced a "cliff-edge reduction of income" from the loss of their severe disability premium (SDP) and enhanced disability premium (EDP) - support available under the pre-existing 'legacy benefits' regime.