Episode 1 Battling with Benefits


Episode 1

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Transcript


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That's all we have at the moment.

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Life on benefits can be tough.

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The government in Westminster

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is undertaking a shake-up of the welfare system.

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The aim is to focus payments on those in greatest need

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and help claimants into work.

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They're also aiming to cut £12 billion

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from the spend on benefits.

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Do you think you could do this yourself?

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Tighter rules have been introduced.

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Filling in those forms is an absolute nightmare.

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..new systems...

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It can drive you mental.

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..and stiffer penalties.

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It's not right, just cutting our money like that.

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Vulnerable and disabled people, even those who are ill, say

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they are being pushed to the limit.

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I don't see why we should be punished for having a spare bedroom.

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If it's just me that's not getting the help,

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who else is suffering in this world?

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In the Bridgend area, we followed people for ten months

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to see the impact on some of those who are experiencing the changes.

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And how challenging benefits decisions can be complicated

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and stressful.

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Why should I have to fight against it? But that's what it takes.

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And a lot of people would have given up, you know?

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A lot of people would have given up.

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This is the reality for those who are Battling with Benefits.

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Over the last four years,

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the Westminster Government has revamped the entire benefits system.

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The aim is to provide better support to get people back to work,

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as well as making savings of £9 billion a year.

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One of the big changes is to housing benefit,

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with the introduction of the under-occupancy charge,

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which is commonly known as the bedroom tax.

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It affects 40,000 households in Wales

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who rent their homes from the council or housing associations.

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Those who have a spare room

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now have money deducted from their housing benefit.

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But what impact is the bedroom tax having

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in Wales' deprived communities?

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Kay Harris lives in an ex-mining community

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on the Bettws estate near Bridgend.

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-I love it here.

-INTERVIEWER:

-And why's that?

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Because we're a community that always...

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Like, if anything happens, we're there, like, you know?

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Kay's lived in Bettws her entire life.

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Her three-bedroom rented house is home to husband Terrance

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and also son Gareth.

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Since 2013, they've been £49 a month worse off.

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Well, this is the bedroom that I'm paying the bedroom tax for.

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The tax is the shortfall in her rent that she has to pay.

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One option to recoup it is to rent out the room.

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How can you rent a room out this size?

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You know, people are not going to pay, say, £40 a week

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for sleeping in this size room,

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when they can only fit a wardrobe...

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Cos you can't put nothing up against the radiator, it's against the law.

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You can't put nothing at the window, because it breaks out the light.

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The government's intention

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is that those who've been charged should move somewhere smaller.

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But that's difficult,

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because there's a shortage of one- and two-bedroom properties

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all over Wales.

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So where they got the ideas from for these things, I don't know.

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Kay decided to try and challenge the decision

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and took her case to court, to an independent tribunal.

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But the judge ruled that she had no grounds

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to be exempt from the charge.

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I knew as soon as I walked through the door and seen the judge's face,

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I knew his decision.

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My grandchildren come over on the weekend.

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I have one on a Friday night, one on a Saturday night.

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So the bedroom is getting used.

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But they don't take that into consideration.

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Butter.

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Cheese.

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For a family surviving on benefits,

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the extra cost of paying the charge for the bedroom

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comes out of the already tight household budget.

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Flour.

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-INTERVIEWER:

-So on a normal week,

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could you afford everything on that list?

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There's usually pretty more...

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Like, there's my frozen veg, my meat for Sunday dinners,

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and sausages,

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but half the time, we can't afford them, so I just leave them.

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But even though the family are struggling,

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Kay hasn't given up the fight against the bedroom tax.

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To have this bedroom tax stopped and our money as normal,

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it would make a heck of a difference.

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If I don't fight, who's going to fight?

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You know? And something's got to be done.

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Another big change to the benefit system

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is the phasing out of Disability Living Allowance

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and the introduction of a new benefit

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called Personal Independence Payments.

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But what impact does this dramatic changeover have

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on some of the most vulnerable people in Wales?

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43-year-old Andrew Williams is in so much pain from walking,

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he has to stop every 15 metres.

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He used to work in a steel fabrication plant, a job he loved.

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It's not just the physical...

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HE WINCES IN PAIN

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..bit. It's...

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It's not being able to do what I used to do.

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His life changed drastically in 2008 when he injured his back doing DIY.

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Injuries made worse by two car accidents.

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I used to do a lot of physical work, and I can't do it any more,

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and it's frustrating.

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I used to work 12-hour shifts lifting heavy steel.

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At the moment...

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..I'm still having...

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..problems adjusting mentally

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to what I can and can't do.

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Despite getting treatment for his depression and anxiety,

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there are some days when Andrew hits rock bottom.

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'Struggling to do the things that you want to do...'

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..whether it be physical things, mental things...

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um...

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that kicks the depression off.

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And that's when you start getting silly thoughts like, you know...

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taking too many tablets, or...

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..contemplating going out in the shed with a razor blade, or...

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It's...

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It's been happening quite a few times over the last five, six weeks.

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No. Foot in straight would help.

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Andrew relies on his partner, Donna,

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and was on Disability Living Allowance,

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which went some way to help with the extra expense of his needs.

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But when Andrew's condition worsened,

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he tried to get an increase in his DLA.

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Because he was changing his claim,

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he had to apply, instead, for the new benefit,

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Personal Independence Payments, which he did.

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But although he got the PIP award, he hadn't scored enough points

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to get financial support for his care needs,

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despite the fact that he'd had a £21-per-week care allowance

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when he was on DLA.

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They took off what I had. I had low rate care.

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They've taken that away,

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even though DLA told me I had that indefinitely.

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Financially worse off and frustrated by the system,

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he's decided to appeal against the decision.

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For anyone surviving week to week on benefits, unforeseen costs

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can make a dent in even the best household budget.

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For the past two weeks, Kay has had to spend an extra £30 per week

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on bus fares.

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She's been shuttling back and forth from home to Morriston Hospital

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in Swansea, where her husband Terrance

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has just had open-heart surgery.

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Last Monday, a week last Monday, when he had his heart attack,

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his last heart attack... I thought it was all over.

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I know they told me on the phone yesterday the operation went well,

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but until you see it for yourself,

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you know, you don't believe it, do you?

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A week later, Terrance is back home.

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But he is in pain and a long way from a full recovery.

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They replaced a valve with a mechanical valve.

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And they replaced an artery.

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And then, broke my ribs.

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Broke my chest bone!

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One hell of a cut!

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As you can see...

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The chest bone expands, when I cough.

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And it's...

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..trying to tear.

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HE COUGHS

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Now, they need the spare room more than ever.

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The bed has been fitted with a grab rail.

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Terrance has trouble sleeping because he's in constant pain,

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so sleeps here to avoid disturbing Kay.

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If I have got... If I get in trouble

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and I need Kay, all I have to do

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is give the wall a bang.

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At least I know I am only a door away.

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There is plenty of times I have woke up and I have gone like this

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to his mouth, just to make sure that he is actually breathing.

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And it is frightening.

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PAINED GASPING

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I think people should have a spare bedroom, just in case...

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You don't know what's around the corner.

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You don't know what's going to happen.

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I don't see why we should be punished for having

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a spare bedroom, anyway. We never used to.

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Andrew Williams

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is fighting the decision on his PIP benefit.

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Although he got a payment for his mobility,

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he got nothing for his care needs.

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OK...

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'This was never about money.'

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This, to me...has always been...

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..about being believed.

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He has already had his case heard before a judge,

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at a tribunal in Cardiff. And now, he is preparing for a final hearing

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in two months' time.

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I have decided you need supervision, prompting or assistance

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from another person to manage your therapy. And that is therapy...

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He is reviewing his original application

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for Personal Independence Payments. Using a points system,

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it's designed to assess his capabilities with daily activities.

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Activity number four, which is washing and bathing.

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They have given me three points on that one.

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And the...

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It's not always clear to Andrew

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which sections of the form he should use

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to describe his complex disabilities and care needs.

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In my situation...it would be...

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..either 3C or 3D, probably.

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It could actually be 3B.

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It is far from straightforward,

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and he is finding the whole application process frustrating.

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They want you to put everything into nice little boxes -

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on Mondays and Tuesdays, I can't do that.

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On Wednesdays, I can do that.

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Life is not like that.

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The appeals process is proving difficult,

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so Andrew has decided to get help.

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In town with his partner, Donna,

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Andrew is in more pain that usual,

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so he has chosen to use his wheelchair.

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God, things like that. Things like that bloody divot.

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They don't flipping...

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..fix them and it jars my back like hell.

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They are heading to the Citizens Advice Bureau,

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who offer free support for people facing problems with their benefits.

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-Are you Mr Williams?

-I am, indeed.

-I'm Denis Jones, right?

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-Pleased to meet you.

-Pleasure.

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Denis is the most experienced volunteer

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at Bridgend's Citizens Advice.

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Still going strong, at 90 years of age,

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he is the oldest in Wales,

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and his track record with appealing benefits cases is second to none.

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-What have you lost?

-I've lost my care component.

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I was on low care DLA.

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If they are to have a chance at overturning the decision

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of the tribunal, Denis will have to look at all the evidence

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of Andrew's care needs and make sure it is properly represented.

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There is, though, a possibility that he could end up worse off.

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Now, you are aware that you have got ten on mobility there,

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if you go to the tribunal, they can take it away,

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as well as awarding.

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-Yes. I'm fully aware of that.

-You're aware of that.

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-Do you want me to go the appeal with you?

-Yes, please.

-Right.

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Over the following weeks, Denis will work closely with Andrew.

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I feel more confident

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going into the tribunal now, with someone like that behind us.

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'At least we've got support there, to help us through it now,

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'which, hopefully, is going to make life a bit easier.'

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Having lost her own case in court, there is nothing Kay Harris can do

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to avoid paying her £49 per month bedroom tax,

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but now, she is campaigning to help others.

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-Hello!

-Oh, hello, Kay! Come on in!

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She has joined forces with Alan Short.

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Together, they formed a campaign group called

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Bridgend Against The Bedroom Tax.

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And this appeal was for... She is quite ill...

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Alan is a retired ex-serviceman

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and the campaign has taken over his life.

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We're not arguing it wasn't a bedroom. We said, "Yeah, we know..."

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Although Alan hasn't been bedroom taxed himself,

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he is helping people challenge their case in the courts.

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This is what gets sent to people

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when they appeal, from the council.

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It is usually anywhere between 132 and 167 pages.

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Now, how on Earth is a tenant going to sort that lot out?

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It's enough to put anybody off,

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but Alan is happy to help.

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Right, these appeals, here,

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are appeals that are ongoing.

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These have all been withdrawn, these appeals.

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These here are all cases in the pipeline, waiting to be done.

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These... These are cases that have been lost.

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How many cases have you got here?

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Well, I just counted up on my laptop. 92, we had.

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What was it that made you start up this campaign?

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Fed up of the government walking all over people that are vulnerable.

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People are not prepared to speak up for themselves,

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so I'm prepared to do it for them.

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I can see it's wrong.

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It just isn't fair to people -

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people who have got no chance of paying.

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He is 100% into this campaign and I am really proud of him.

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I am glad to be his friend.

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ALAN LAUGHS

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Thank you very much!

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Their next mission takes them to the heart of Welsh government,

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to see if they can get more support for their campaign.

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-See you later, huh?

-Yes.

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For months, Andrew has been living

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with the stress of his benefits appeal.

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He's on medication for severe anxiety,

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which sometimes prevents him from leaving the house.

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Sometimes you think, "I'm going to go and do this,"

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and you get to the front door...

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and I think, "No, I'm not."

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It's... It's too hard to even open the front door.

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You get this knot, these butterflies in your stomach.

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Today, he's managed to overcome his anxiety.

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With his PIP tribunal looming,

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Andrew heads to the Bridgend Citizens Advice Bureau.

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It's the last chance he has to get the all-important help

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he needs to prepare for his appeal.

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-Good morning, Mr Williams.

-Morning.

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Denis and Andrew look at where he can score some more points.

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We have to see whether you deserve a higher reward

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on those activities for which you've got nothing,

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but which you could possibly achieve something.

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Last time, Andrew wasn't given any points

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for the help he needs for putting on his clothes.

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Dressing and undressing.

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-How do you manage with socks?

-Most of the time my partner does it.

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Most of the time...does it for you.

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She more than likely does them about four days a week,

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four to five - sometimes it's seven days a week.

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Is that spoiling you, out of...

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-No. No, I will try first.

-It is needed.

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Yeah, I will try first and if I can't do it,

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then she will have to come in.

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The appeals process can put heavy demands on people,

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especially those who are ill or vulnerable.

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'I wouldn't wish this sort of thing on anyone, because...'

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It's... It's not easily dealt with.

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I have this constant...

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..thing in the back of my head, when am I going to have this appeal?

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What's going to happen? When am I going to see Denis?

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What does Denis think about all this?

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It all goes on in your head, all the time -

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when you go to sleep, everything, it's always there.

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Getting to the point now where you just want it over and done with.

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No matter what the decision, you just want it done with,

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because it's... it's getting too much now.

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With the tribunal just four days away,

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the pressure on Andrew is mounting.

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In Wales, 40,000 tenants have to pay the under-occupancy charge,

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or bedroom tax as it's more commonly known.

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That's almost half of those who rent their homes

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from housing associations or the council,

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and it's the highest proportion in any region in Great Britain.

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Alan and Kay see the charge as an unfair tax

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and they're intent on doing something about it.

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They're in Cardiff, heading for the Welsh Assembly.

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That's where they let all the hot air out of, there, look.

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We just want to get our point across

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and we want them to do something.

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Inside the Senedd,

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along with other campaigners, church representatives and charities,

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they meet with some of the political movers and shakers.

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We deal mainly with tenants on very low incomes

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who just cannot afford to pay.

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They're what we call the vulnerable tenants.

0:20:490:20:52

We've got appeals waiting now and we've got many in the pipeline.

0:20:520:20:56

Hi, my name is Kay Harris and I'm a bedroom taxpayer.

0:20:560:20:59

Me and a few others made a campaign against the tax

0:20:590:21:02

and we feel it is unfair to be punished

0:21:020:21:04

because we want to live peacefully in our own homes.

0:21:040:21:07

They are not buildings, they are people's homes,

0:21:070:21:09

who have settled for years and brought up families

0:21:090:21:12

and who have gone and made their own families.

0:21:120:21:15

Opportunities for Kay to get her stories across to those in power

0:21:150:21:19

don't come around too often.

0:21:190:21:21

We still are urging people to join our campaign, to fight with us,

0:21:210:21:25

so that we'll have more support for to come to places like this.

0:21:250:21:29

Thank you very much.

0:21:290:21:31

Kay gets the attention of Assembly Member Joyce Watson.

0:21:350:21:38

I don't want to move. You know, like...

0:21:380:21:41

And half the time, he uses that bedroom anyway,

0:21:410:21:44

because he wakes up in the night because he's in so much pain,

0:21:440:21:47

so he goes into the spare bedroom,

0:21:470:21:49

so it's not as if the bedroom's not being used.

0:21:490:21:51

I just think to myself,

0:21:510:21:52

"Why are they punishing us like they are? And why us?"

0:21:520:21:56

Why are they hammering the people who need help?

0:21:560:22:00

-The sick, the old, disabled.

-The infirm, the vulnerable.

0:22:000:22:03

Whichever category you want to put them in, they are the vulnerable.

0:22:030:22:07

The Senedd has no say in the under-occupancy charge

0:22:090:22:12

because it's a Westminster policy,

0:22:120:22:14

but Kay and the other campaigners want the assembly to create a fund

0:22:140:22:18

to pay the charges of everyone who's been hit in Wales,

0:22:180:22:22

similar to what's already happened in Scotland.

0:22:220:22:25

All the appeal paperwork.

0:22:400:22:41

It's the day Andrew Williams takes his battle to court

0:22:440:22:47

over his Personal Independence Payment.

0:22:470:22:50

-INTERVIEWER:

-So, how are you feeling this morning, Andrew?

0:22:520:22:54

-HE CHUCKLES

-Not good. Nervous.

0:22:540:23:00

Anxious.

0:23:000:23:01

Taking extra tablets.

0:23:050:23:07

Because of his anxiety and his difficulty with walking,

0:23:090:23:13

the tribunal service have sent a taxi to pick him

0:23:130:23:16

and his partner, Donna, up.

0:23:160:23:17

Yeah, here he is.

0:23:170:23:19

Morning.

0:23:250:23:26

The last year has seen increasing numbers of people

0:23:280:23:30

taking their benefits appeals to tribunal, so Andrew is not alone.

0:23:300:23:35

-Cheers, mate.

-See you later, mate. Be careful.

-Ta-ra.

0:23:390:23:41

-Morning.

-Morning.

0:23:410:23:44

Without Denis' support, Andrew wouldn't have made it this far.

0:23:440:23:47

There you are, phone is off.

0:23:470:23:50

-There we are, then. Let's go in, eh?

-Let's go.

0:23:500:23:54

For a second time, his case is being heard by two experts and a judge.

0:23:560:24:01

They'll decide whether or not to uphold

0:24:010:24:04

the Department of Work and Pensions' decision on his benefits.

0:24:040:24:07

They emerge almost an hour later.

0:24:150:24:17

They went through everything.

0:24:170:24:19

They went through - other than just the walking -

0:24:190:24:22

they actually went through all the points that we were querying,

0:24:220:24:26

didn't they?

0:24:260:24:27

But it's not over yet.

0:24:270:24:29

Couldn't make a decision there because we'd overrun.

0:24:300:24:34

We just now have to wait and see.

0:24:340:24:35

It'll be another two days before the decision comes through.

0:24:380:24:41

Back on the Bettws Estate,

0:24:480:24:50

Terrance is still recovering from open heart surgery.

0:24:500:24:53

Right, I'll go and make a coffee.

0:24:530:24:55

The unexpected costs from when he was hospitalised

0:24:550:24:59

have added to their money worries,

0:24:590:25:01

and they've fallen behind on the rent.

0:25:010:25:03

Now, as well as having to pay the £11 per week bedroom tax,

0:25:050:25:09

they are also paying off their arrears.

0:25:090:25:13

It's costing us now £26.60 a week.

0:25:130:25:18

And that £26.60 could've gone on decorating the room.

0:25:180:25:23

HE COUGHS

0:25:310:25:34

The government's intention is to get people to downsize.

0:25:370:25:40

But Terrance and Kay feel that moving isn't an option.

0:25:410:25:45

A house isn't just a building.

0:25:470:25:50

When you've got people living in there,

0:25:500:25:52

that have been there for such a long time, it's a home.

0:25:520:25:55

They've settled in that home, so why not leave them stay?

0:25:550:25:59

As I said, the only way I'll get out of this house is in a wooden box.

0:25:590:26:02

In the six months

0:26:110:26:13

after the under-occupancy charge was introduced,

0:26:130:26:16

the number of tenants in arrears in Wales increased by 23%.

0:26:160:26:21

Now, as a result,

0:26:210:26:23

the housing associations are predicting evictions.

0:26:230:26:26

I don't want to open it.

0:26:290:26:32

The results of Andrew's tribunal have arrived.

0:26:320:26:35

It's taken him four months to challenge the DWP's decision

0:26:360:26:40

on his PIP benefit.

0:26:400:26:42

"Decision notice.

0:26:420:26:44

"Mr Williams has limited ability

0:26:440:26:46

"to carry out activities of daily living. He scores nine points."

0:26:460:26:50

Finally, Andrew has got the recognition that he has care needs.

0:26:500:26:54

Woohoo!

0:26:540:26:56

And he's won his case.

0:26:560:26:59

-It's over, love.

-Yep, all done and dusted.

0:26:590:27:02

On top of his other benefits, he's been awarded

0:27:040:27:06

an additional £55 per week, that's more than he had before.

0:27:060:27:11

But they've given you back your board,

0:27:130:27:15

-which they originally took off you.

-Yeah.

0:27:150:27:17

I am happy I've been heard and I am happy it's all over.

0:27:170:27:21

Andrew calls Denis at Citizens Advice,

0:27:230:27:26

who's support made all the difference.

0:27:260:27:29

-ON PHONE:

-'Hi, Andrew.'

0:27:290:27:30

-Hiya. I've just read it.

-'Yes.'

0:27:300:27:33

And I'm still in a bit of shock, actually.

0:27:330:27:37

'Why is that?'

0:27:370:27:39

Because somebody actually listened for a change.

0:27:390:27:41

'You got what you went for, that's the big thing.'

0:27:410:27:44

Exactly.

0:27:440:27:46

'You got it. I was very pleased when I saw the result.

0:27:460:27:49

'I think it's a very good result.'

0:27:490:27:52

Yeah, I couldn't be happier with it.

0:27:520:27:54

-'OK.'

-Thanks a lot.

-'Bye, then.'

-Ta-ra.

0:27:540:27:56

It's a happy relief. It's a happy ending to...

0:28:000:28:03

-..an otherwise sad story, I think.

-HE CHUCKLES

0:28:040:28:08

For those who are ill or vulnerable,

0:28:170:28:19

challenging benefits decisions can be a gruelling process.

0:28:190:28:23

A survey shows that most of those who try

0:28:230:28:26

say their health suffers as a result.

0:28:260:28:28

But although the benefits appeals process can be difficult,

0:28:280:28:32

growing numbers of people are successful.

0:28:320:28:34

Next time on Battling With Benefits...

0:28:360:28:38

They just sanctioned me.

0:28:380:28:40

..a young Valleys couple struggle to comply

0:28:400:28:43

with stricter Jobcentre rules...

0:28:430:28:45

Only when we checked today that we noticed half the money was missing.

0:28:450:28:48

..and when Bridgend-born Will Thomas returned to Britain injured

0:28:480:28:52

after having worked abroad,

0:28:520:28:54

he struggles to get any benefits at all.

0:28:540:28:56

They have the nerve to tell me that I have to be back in my own country

0:28:560:29:01

for two years to get what I'm entitled to.

0:29:010:29:04

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