Discretionary Housing Payments
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to expand discretionary housing payments to (a) Surrey and (b) other areas with high rental inflation.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
The Government announced through the Spending Review that Discretionary Housing Payments will be included in the new Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026. This will provide £842 million per year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform how crisis support is delivered locally.
By combining Discretionary Housing Payments to create a single, streamlined fund, the Crisis and Resilience Fund will make it easier for local authorities to deliver joined-up support, whilst helping people to access the help they need when they need it.
We will work closely with Local Authorities on the detailed design of the fund and will issue further information on our planned approach.
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