Tenants warn grant cut will create homelessness
Council tenants are warning that many will be forced onto the streets because of cuts to Discretionary Housing Payments.
Their union, ACORN, says the cut is ‘yet another example of the government abandoning tenants.’
The grants offer financial support for rent and housing costs to people claiming housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
In 2021-22 the grants were cut to £131.8m, a 22% drop, according to data sourced from 253 English councils under the Freedom of Information Act by Inside Housing.
The success rate of DHP applications fell by more than 10 percentage points in 62 councils.
Jack Yates, spokesperson for ACORN, said: ‘The cut to DHP grants to councils is yet another example of the government abandoning tenants. This has no doubt forced many out of their homes and onto the streets.’
