Use Of Discretionary Housing Payments Dropped Last Year Despite Pandemic

The use of funding allocated to local authorities to help those unable to keep up with housing costs dropped last year despite widespread financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local authorities in England and Wales spent 94% of their allocated Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in 2020/21 compared to 98% the previous year. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting housing costs. Councils can decide whether to give a DHP, how much will be paid and for how long the claimant will receive the payment. Read more on the GovUK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-2020-to-2021/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-analysis-of-end-of-year-returns-from-local-authorities-data-for-april-2020-to-march-2021