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County councils

Powys County Council Falls Short on Housing Support Funding

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Powys County Council received £527,613 in funding from the Government for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in the year to March, but it only spent £360,457, leaving £167,156 unclaimed. This represents a mere 68% of its allocation, with the authority ranking among the 10 with the smallest proportion of their allocation spent. The Government provided £100m to councils nationwide, which was topped up by local authorities to a maximum of 2.5 times their allocation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Department for Work and Pensions data shows that Powys County Council spent £360,457 on DHPs in the year to March, out of a total allocation of £527,613.
  • The council's spending represents just 68% of its allocation, ranking it among the 10 authorities with the smallest proportion of their allocation spent.
  • Powys County Council's spending on DHPs is a significant decrease from the year before, when it spent the full amount allocated.
  • Across England and Wales, councils spent a total of £100m on DHPs, with the average spend per council being 107% of their allocation.
  • The data attributes 61% of DHP expenditure to welfare reform, with 24% of that attributed to the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy.
  • Shelter has called for the Local Housing Allowance to be unfrozen to cover at least the bottom third of local rents and for the construction of more genuinely affordable social rent homes.
  • A Government spokesperson responded that Discretionary Housing Payments are just one way the Government is helping people, but critics argue that they are insufficient in addressing the housing crisis.

Statistics:

  • £360,457: Amount spent by Powys County Council on DHPs in the year to March
  • £527,613: Total allocation received by Powys County Council for DHPs
  • 68%: Proportion of allocation spent by Powys County Council
  • £100m: Total funding provided by the Government for DHPs nationwide
  • 107%: Average spend per council as a proportion of their allocation
  • £24m: Amount attributed to the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy
  • £61m: Amount attributed to welfare reform
  • 24%: Proportion of DHP expenditure attributed to the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy

Sources:

  • New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions
  • Shelter
  • Powys County Council
  • Local Government Association's community wellbeing board
  • Government spokesperson

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