The Discretionary Housing Payments Review Advisory Panel of Westminster Council was scheduled to consider three review requests regarding refusals to grant Discretionary Housing Payments. The meeting agenda also included standard procedural items.

Review of Refusal to Grant Discretionary Housing Payment

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the consideration of three review requests concerning decisions to refuse Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). DHPs are payments made by local authorities to help people on low incomes who are struggling to pay their rent, particularly those affected by welfare reforms such as the spare room subsidy¹. The agenda indicated that these reviews would be considered in Part 1 of the meeting, meaning they were open to the public. However, a subsequent item noted that exempt reports under the Local Government Act 1972 were recommended for exclusion from the public and press. This was due to the likely disclosure of exempt information relating to individuals, with the grounds for exclusion being that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at Westminster City Hall, located at 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP. The panel members scheduled to attend were Councillor Gillian Arrindell (Chair), Councillor Lorraine Dean, and Councillor Angela Piddock.