A CARER who looks after his disabled wife says he will have to spend half his income support benefit on the controversial tax.

Richard Greenaway, aged 49, of Windermere Drive, Warndon, Worcester, says he will lose £60 a month of his income.

He said: “This is going to make life harder – for carers like me it’s going to hit us very hard.

“If they don’t get much money coming in it’s going to put real pressure on the budget.

“Why should I pay it if I’m on income support – we have got to pay for gas and electric and fuel for the van. It’s going to have a big impact.”

He has filled in a discretionary payment form with a doctor’s letter about his wife’s condition to see if they can win exemption from the tax.

Mr Greenaway is a full-time carer for his wife Jacqueline, 42, at the flat which is managed by Worcester Community Housing.

The couple have lived at the flat since 1994 after they married the year before and now he cares for his wife full time after giving up his job to be a carer.

Her multiple sclerosis means she is wheelchair bound and she cannot eat or swallow so is pipe-fed.

He only found out about the bedroom tax three weeks ago when two officers from Worcester Community Housing came to his home to explain it.

Mr Greenaway gets £30 per week in income support and he says, with the new bedroom tax, half his income will be gone.

He has filled in a discretionary payment form to see if he is entitled to any support. He said: “I just scrape by as it is, only just managing to keep my head above water.”

The couple received housing and council tax benefit and carers allowance of £50 a week.

Mrs Greenaway gets £309.80 per month in disability living allowance and £108 per week employment support allowance.