Councils Fail To Spend £1m Earmarked For People at Risk of Homelessness

Figures show that nearly £1m of the £20m set aside to help families who could not afford rent or other housing costs in 2010-11 was left untouched by councils. Six local authorities spent less than half the money they were allocated for these "discretionary housing payments" by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In total, £990,272 remained unclaimed in England, Scotland and Wales. Yet some councils made the decision to top up the money they received from the DWP from their own coffers, taking the total awarded to £21.4m. Read more on the Guardian website.