Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources seeking approval for a policy for Discretionary Housing Payments that takes into account relevant changes in the Department for Work and Pension’s Discretionary Housing Payment guidance and has consideration to the Council’s key objectives.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the Discretionary Housing Payments policy at Appendix B of the report is the approved policy for Gloucester City Council subject to the following recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 25^th March 2019

-       paragraph 2.2 be amended to have the policy operative from 4^th April 2019

-       War Pensions to be disregarded in their entirety for the purposes of calculating income for DHPs

-       To clarify the appeals process in the policy

-       If on first application it is apparent that the individual’s circumstances are not likely to change within the 13 week period, a longer period will be awarded subject to an annual review

(2)  the Discretionary Housing Payment policy is effective 01 April 2019.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources that sought approval for a Discretionary Housing Payments policy to take into account relevant changes in the Department for Work and Pension’s Discretionary Housing Payment guidance with consideration to the Council’s key objectives.

The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources summarised the key features of the report.  She drew Members’ attention to the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 25^th March 2019 described in Appendix C and endorsed recommendations 1, 2, 4, and 5.  Concerning recommendation 3 `to consider disregarding War Pensions in their entirety for the purposes of calculating income for Housing Benefit’ the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources advised Members that this would be better addressed outside of the policy.  She further stated that officers would conduct a review into the matter and bring proposals to Members should they be beneficial.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the Discretionary Housing Payments policy at Appendix B of the report is the approved policy for Gloucester City Council subject to the following recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 25^th March 2019

-       War Pensions to be disregarded in their entirety for the purposes of calculating income for DHPs

-       to clarify the appeals process in the policy

-       if on first application it is apparent that the individual’s circumstances are not likely to change within the 13 week period, a longer period will be awarded subject to an annual review

(2)  the Discretionary Housing Payment policy is effective 4^th April 2019.