The Discretionary Housing Payments Review Advisory Panel was scheduled to discuss changes to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) and review three confidential cases where individuals had their DHP applications refused. The meeting was held online.

Changes to Discretionary Housing Payments

The panel was scheduled to consider changes to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) that were due to come into effect from April 2026. The report pack indicated that this item would be discussed on pages 3-4 of the public reports pack.

Review of Refusals to Grant Discretionary Housing Payment

A significant portion of the meeting was allocated to reviewing three confidential cases where individuals had been refused a Discretionary Housing Payment. These reviews were detailed in pages 5-250 of the public reports pack. The agenda noted that these discussions would involve exempt information relating to individuals, and therefore the public and press would be excluded from this part of the meeting. This exclusion was recommended under Section 100(A)(4) and Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, on the grounds that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Discretionary Housing Payments are a fund provided by local authorities to help people on low incomes who are struggling to pay their rent. These payments are discretionary, meaning councils have the flexibility to decide who receives them and how much they get, based on individual circumstances. They can be used to help with rent arrears, rent in advance, or other housing-related costs. The purpose of the review panel is to consider appeals against decisions made regarding these payments.