Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer.

The report of the Head of Function (Resources) and Section 151 Officer seeking the Executive’s approval for a revised Local Discretionary Housing Payment Policy Scheme for 2018/19 was presented for consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Finance reported that the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) Scheme is intended to provide customers in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit with further financial assistance with their housing costs where the Local Authority considers that such help is necessary. All DHP payments must be made within the overall cash limits as determined by the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP). The DWP awards the Authority an annual sum as the Government contribution towards the administration of the scheme. The Authority can top up the Government Contribution by an additional 150% (the permitted total) if it so wishes. The implementation of Universal Credit will progress in Anglesey from November, 2018 (having been put back from June, 2018); currently there are delays in the award of Universal Credit; it must be noted therefore that an award of DHP can only be made once entitlement to the Housing costs element of Universal Credit (or Housing Benefit) has been established.

The Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer said that the intention is that in future years the DHP Policy which has been reported on annually will only to be brought back to the Executive if amendments are required. However, the costs of the scheme will continue to be reported on via the quarterly budget monitoring report. The Officer said that as at 28 February, 2018 overall expenditure on DHP (spent and committed) amounted to £133,586 against the DWP grant of £162,656 leaving £29,070 to be spent over the remainder of the current financial year. It is projected that the expenditure will be slightly below the DWPs grant allocation for the year meaning that any residual unspent grant will be lost.

The Executive noted the information; the Executive also noted with regard to DHP applications that there has been a notable decrease in approvals in 2017/18 compared with 2016/17 and accordingly, a corresponding increase in refusals. The Executive sought an explanation for the difference. The Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer said that many of the applications are repeat applications; however, as the policy is not meant to provide a permanent additional benefit the assessing process can result in a reduced payment or a refusal in cases where the applicant is not prepared to make reasonable compromises with regard to their expenditure and lifestyle. The grant has to be distributed to those in need and is designed to act as a temporary safety net for those experiencing difficulty in meeting their housing costs.

It was resolved to approve the revised Local Discretionary Housing Payment Policy (DHP) Scheme for 2018/19 and for the subsequent years as at Appendix A to the report. To note that the approved scheme will apply for subsequent years and will only be brought back to the Executive if future amendments are required.