North Lincolnshire spends just 17 per cent of its housing DHP funds, they which refused to provide emergency housing hardship funds to smokers has been slammed for handing back nearly £200,000 in unspent cash to the Treasury.
According to Inside Housing:
North Lincolnshire Council spent just £41,210 of its £238,069 discretionary housing payment pot in 2012/13 – just 17 per cent – much less proportionally than other low-spending councils surveyed by Inside Housing.
The council declared in January it would deny funds to tenants who made certain ‘life choices’, such as smoking or subscribing to satellite television.
Nic Dakin, Labour MP for Scunthorpe, which is in North Lincolnshire’s boundaries, said: ‘Spending that little money is a dereliction of duty. I see people coming in every week who are in real need, but are being turned away by the council.
‘Local housing associations have been tearing their hair out at the council’s position.’
He said he knew of disabled tenants impacted by the bedroom tax who had been declined DHP. Steve Hepworth, director of operations at 10,000-home North Lincolnshire Homes, said the landlord had urged the council to change its position.
‘We are disappointed that such a small number of claims were paid,’ he said.
The landlord’s arrears have increased by £160,000 a year.
A spokesperson for North Lincolnshire Council said many applicants for DHP ‘could afford to pay [their rent] from excess income’.
‘Initial applications had a low success rate because many were encouraged to apply by social landlords facing rent arrears, even though they knew they would not qualify,’ she added.
‘Where people can alter their expenditure commitments in order to meet the rent “top-up” themselves they should be expected to do so.’
Tony Stacey, chair of the Placeshapers group of 100 housing associations, described the council’s stance as ‘outrageous Victorian moralising’