Issue - meetings

Discretionary Housing Payment Policy

Meeting: 10/10/2013 - Cabinet (Item 70)

70 Discretionary Housing Payment Fund 2013/2014 Policy - Supporting Tenants Shortfall in Rent pdf icon PDF 106 KB

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Central and Support Services introduced a report by the Head of Business Processes which set out information on the intended allocation of the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) Fund following the implementation of key aspects of the Welfare Reform Act from April 2013. It also detailed the general principles of how staff would assess each claim given the significant shortfall in funds available.

 

The DHP fund in 2013/14 was intended to assist those in both the private and social rented sector by helping to meet a shortfall in rent, to enable them to remain in their accommodation. When the fund was originally set up in 2001, awards were seen as a short term solution. Clearly, given the range of situations that had been encountered that was not always appropriate and there were circumstances where someone did not have the ability to pay and either there was no suitable alternative accommodation or it would be unreasonable to expect them to move and DHP awards were more long term.

 

Councillors Adrian Jones and George Davies commented that the most vulnerable people in society were being made to pay with the Government’s implementation of the Welfare Reform Act. It was likely that the overall limit of £2,293,035 would not be enough for discretionary housing payments. Expenditure above the government grant of £917,214 would fall to be met from the authority’s own General Fund. Wirral had never exceeded the government grant limit in any previous year.

 

The Leader commented that this was one of the most invidious pieces of legislation introduced by the Government and the growth in the use of foodbanks was a damning indictment of this policy. He expressed his thanks to those staff who were administering the distribution of the fund.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)  the outline procedure for assessing applications for Discretionary Housing payment be approved and that officers keep the policy under review; and

 

(2)  the Cabinet receive periodic updates on the application of this procedure.