This meeting of the Discretionary Housing Payments Review Advisory Panel was scheduled to review two refused applications for Discretionary Housing Payments.

The meeting was also scheduled to consider, in private, a report on a matter relating to information relating to any individual. The Local Government Act 1972 allows councils to hold meetings in private in certain circumstances. ¹

Review of Refusal to Grant Discretionary Housing Payment

The meeting considered two requests for reviews of refusals to grant Discretionary Housing Payments:

• One review request related to an individual.
• The other related to an individual.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are payments that can be made by local authorities in England and Wales to help people on low incomes with their housing costs. They are usually paid to people who are in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. DHPs are intended to provide short-term help to people who are struggling to afford their rent. They can be used to cover a variety of housing costs, including rent arrears, rent deposits, and removal expenses. ²

Local authorities have limited funds available for DHPs, so they have to carefully consider each application. They will take into account the applicant's income and expenditure, their housing costs, and their personal circumstances.

In some circumstances, councils have a legal duty to provide DHPs. For example, they may have to provide a DHP to someone who is at risk of becoming homeless. However, in most cases, the decision of whether or not to award a DHP is at the discretion of the local authority.