Pay bedroom tax on room with kidney dialysis machine

Thirty years ago Mr Rivers Pound moved into a specially designed council flat in Earl’s Court, West London. The 55 year old man had been suffering kidney failure since he was 19. Then in April, the Coalition changed everything with the introduction of the bedroom tax which means that the room that houses his dialysis equipment is deemed surplus to requirements and he has to find another £120 a month to pay for it or move out.

Mr Pound is said to be a proud man who refuses to accept charity, even from his own family despite his brother Stephan Pound being the Labour MP for Ealing North. Stephan Pound is outraged on his younger brother’s behalf, The Independent reports.

An editorial in The Independent describes the case as an inhuman error and implores councils to exercise discretion over the bedroom tax.