At present 'Local Authorities' (LA's) are given discretionary housing payments (DHP) money from central government of which they are free to spend as little as 1% or as much as 100% of it on bedroom tax, benefit cap, or frankly, whatever they deem to be their priority.

However, please note as of July this year tenants affected by the bedroom tax & living in 'social housing' need to take stock that it is highly unlikely that any DHP will be given to bedroom tax cases.

This will be an inevitable consequence due to the oncoming reductions in the benefit cap across all local councils, who will have no choice but to divert DHP towards the 'benefit capped' cases away from 'bedroom tax' cases. It's a clever move to move public money into the pockets of the 'Richer Players' or 'Private Landlords' as it means that the majority of DHP awards will go to the private tenant, not the social tenant.

More worryingly, the reduced benefit cap will mean that private landlords will seek to evict all families on benefits, even more worryingly, followed quickly by the LA's having to evict social tenant families too. Both social & private tenants will need to find at least double the bedroom tax average reduction in housing benefit & some will not get a penny in housing benefit at all. Hence the only way for them to remain in their properties & avoid becoming homeless, is through DHP all at a huge cost to local councils ??

Confused ?? Yes most people are, I'm convinced it was designed that way & for that very reason ? A quick recap shows us that the local councils will inevitably choose to simply shift DHP payments towards benefit capped households & away from bedroom taxed households. They will do this simply to save money brought about by a crazy policy which in laymen terms was designed to...

"TAKE AWAY THE ONCE SAFETY NET OF SOCIAL HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WITH LOW OR NO INCOME" !!

For that very reason we have to end bedroom tax 'NOW' !!!!

https://speye.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/no-dhp-for-bedroom-tax-households-after-july-2015/

Response UK : https://www.facebook.com/groups/ResponseUK/

Thank You

Ady (Response UK) Written by David R Haynes (Response UK)