Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management introduced the report which sought approval and adoption of Flintshire County Council’s revised Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) Policy for 2013/14.

DHP could be used to give people extra help and support with their housing costs.  The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) annual funding for DHP was £20m up to April 2011.  To help authorities manage the impact of the reforms DHP funding increased to £30m in 2011/12 and to £60m for 2012/13 across England and Wales and for the remainder of the Spending Review.

DHP funding was designed to help in the short term.  It was a cash limited budget and each application was assessed on need and personal circumstances.  DHP was a payment of last resort or in an emergency; it was hoped that with proactive intervention and help, that other alternatives would be found to help customers in difficulty.  Such work would be undertaken by officers in Housing Benefits, Housing and Welfare Rights and the Welfare Reform Operational Team.

The overall budget to support households for 2013/14 in Flintshire was £544,645.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That the DHP Policy for 2013/14 be adopted; and

(c)        That quarterly reporting to Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet, as set out in 3.12 of the report, be approved.