Thank you for your request below, please find Wirral Councils response to you as follows:
There is £659, 654 unallocated DHP fund as at 5th September .This represents 71.91% of the fund .
Applications for DHP are taking an average of 62 days to process
There has been a rise in applications since April but not specifically as a result of the benefit cap as only a few households on Wirral are affected by that
Thank you for your enquiry, I trust you find this information of assistance.
Thanks for that info, Rude. Does the fact that 72% of the fund is unspent mean that people aren't claiming or that they are claiming and being rejected? I think that taking two months to decide a case is iniquitous.
There are people around the country who are only just being made aware of DHP or they thought that it was only applicable to those with disabilities.
I have also heard of disabled people being refused because they recieve D.L.A which in my opinion is unfair because the extra money they recieve is disibility- related and should not be used to pay a shortfall in rent.
Of course, the key word here is 'discretionary' and there seems to be an unfairness, around the U.K to how it is being distributed.
A third of disabled people refused DHP 19 December 2013 | By Laurna Robertson
Nearly a third of disabled people hit by the bedroom tax have been refused discretionary housing payments, a new survey released today shows.
The research, based on freedom of information requests sent to every council from the National Housing Federation, showed demand for DHP has nearly tripled this year, people in some areas are very unlikely to receive help.
Approximately 420,000 people affected by bedroom tax, according to Government estimates, are disabled. That makes two thirds of the total number of people affected, yet 29 per cent of disabled people who applied for DHP were turned down. In parts of Kent, just one in ten disabled people successfully secured DHP and less than three in ten successful in North East Derbyshire, Basildon, Rotherham and parts of Lancashire.
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: ‘Whenever ministers are challenged on the bedroom tax, they tell us vulnerable people are not at risk because of these discretionary housing payments.
‘Now we know the truth: this so-called bedroom tax protection is starting to look like a postcode lottery, with many disabled people and vulnerable families facing miserable odds of getting help.’
The research showed seven in ten people affected by the bedroom tax who applied for DHP in the first six months of the policy received one.
However, in parts of North Yorkshire this fell to just two in ten, while in Wandsworth, Wokingham and Sunderland, only three in ten succeeded in getting a payment.
The survey also found that:
• The North East saw the biggest rise in demand for discretionary housing payments, with applications almost six times higher than in 2012, up 482 per cent.
• The East Midlands and North West saw the second and third largest spikes in demand, with applications up 326 per cent in the East Midlands compared to 2012 and 302 per cent in the North West.
Mr Orr added: ‘Even those who are lucky enough to get support will have to reapply time and time again, each time facing the stress and worry that the funds will be withdrawn, while councils are being inundated with applications.
‘This support fund is ineffective and deeply unfair – just like the bedroom tax itself. The only real solution is to repeal it.’
Here is an interactive map of applications for discretionary housing payments by the NHF.
Thanks for that info, Rude. Does the fact that 72% of the fund is unspent mean that people aren't claiming or that they are claiming and being rejected? I think that taking two months to decide a case is iniquitous.
Good Afternoon
Nature of request*=I would like information on the number of individual requests the council has had for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) out of the 2013/2014 budget. I would also like to know how many have been dealt with, how many have been successful, how many have been unsuccessful, how many are still waiting to be processed and the average amount of DHP that has been awarded so far this year. Also the percentage of those in receipt of Housing Benefit who have applied for DHP. I would also like information on the number of those who were previously in receipt of full Council Tax benefit in the year 2012/2013 who are now in arrears with 2013/2014 Council Tax payments.
Thank you for your request, Wirral Council can provide the following information in response to your queries: 1. Total number of claims made from 2013/14 budget 1005 2. 136 successful , 756 outstanding , 113 unsuccessful. It is not possible to give an average amount of award as they are for different periods and some are one off lump sum payments . £68,939 has been allocated to the 136 awards made to date . 3. 3.2% of HB claimants have applied for DHP 4. 7,000 people who were previously entitled to full CTB are in arrears with their Council Tax payments in 2013/14
Thank you for your enquiry, I trust you find this information of assistance. Kind regards
Tracy O'Hare FOI Co-ordinator
Just remembered about this earlier FOI request Chris.
URGENT CALL OUT TO ALL BEDROOM TAX AFFECTED TENANTS (& THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES) IN MERSEYSIDE & BEYOND!!!
There are Bedroom Tax Tribunal Appeals taking place in Wirral (Birkenhead) on Thursday 16th January 2014 and Tuesday 21st January 2014. There are 6 cases being heard each day, that’s 12 bedroom tax appeals. South Wirral Campaign Against the Bedroom Tax & ReClaim know of and are representing tenants at 1 appeal of each of these days. This means that there are 10 other appeal cases that we are not aware of. Please get in touch with us if you are aware of tenants who are attending an appeal hearing of any of these days. We maybe able to assist, but only if we can prepare for the hearing. Thanks
Bedroom Tax Tribunal Appeals- the cases to be heard have Legal Grounds to contest..... Tribunals are happening all over the U.K and people are winning.
The stupid Globe headline from the 23rd December was soooo mis-leading.
PM me if you do not know how to contact Reclaim or SWABT.
Some disabled people aren't really disabled though (that's a misnomer) what you really mean is that some people are falsely claiming disablement benefits and all benefit claimants are scrounger's, this government would have you believe that this was true, the politics of division and hate, I genuinely fear for the future of this country should the Tories gain power, a nation led by the greedy and corrupt
I fear for the country if things like this eat away at you 24/7 and yes it's a fact that people falsely claim DLA. Quite often through over egging a condition.
I fear for the country if things like this eat away at you 24/7 and yes it's a fact that people falsely claim DLA. Quite often through over egging a condition.
Yes I've already agreed with you that the system is being abused, however it is by a very small per cent of the population, as to the disabled 42% of appeals against ATOS decisions to declare people fit for work have been successful, to stick a label on all benefit claimants as scroungers is dishonest and untrue, the politics of division and hate, something which we as a country fought a world war against, every time there has been a surge of civil unrest it has been under a Conservative government whom on occasions have used the military to enforce their will on the people they purport to represent, so yes Emeeh I worry for the future of my children and grandchildren 24/7 and I don't make any apologies for that.
