Issue - meetings
Discretionary Housing Payments Policy
Meeting: 29/03/2017 - Policy and Resources Committee (Item 206)
206 Report of the Mid Kent Services Director - Discretionary Housing Payments Policy 
PDF 48 KB
Additional documents:
- Appendix l. Discretionary Housing Payments Policy, item 206
PDF 45 KB
View as HTML (206/2) 28 KB
- Appendix ll. Equality Impact Assessment, item 206
PDF 36 KB
View as HTML (206/3) 34 KB
Decision:
RESOLVED:
That the Committee approves the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy held as appendix A.
Voting: For - 14 Against - 0 Abstentions – 0
Minutes:
The Business Support Manager introduced her report on Maidstone Borough Council’s Discretionary Housing Payments Policy. It was noted that the Council received an annual grant from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to administer Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP). The grant was ringfenced and any unspent grant had to be returned to the DWP. DHP were introduced to help benefit claimants who were affected by benefit reforms to move into more financially sustainable accommodation.
In response to a question from a member of the committee, it was noted that the impact of welfare reforms was different for residents who were eligible for disability benefits. For example, the benefit cap did not apply to those who received disability benefits. This was the reason why a low proportion of DHP claimants were disabled.
RESOLVED:
That the Committee approves the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy held as appendix A.
Voting: For - 14 Against - 0 Abstentions – 0