Private Rented Housing: Heywood and Middleton North
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding allocated for Discretionary Housing Payments to support low-income private renters facing debt, credit reliance, and eviction pressures in Heywood and Middleton North constituency.
Answered by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Since April 2026, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) have become Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) Housing Payments in England. They continue to be available to those entitled to a qualifying benefit who require further financial assistance with their housing costs. The allocation of awards is at the discretion of the local authority.
Funding for discretionary housing support for local authorities in England and Wales remains at £100 million for 2026/27. In addition to the central government contribution, local authorities can top up their CRF Housing Payment funding from other funding streams.
Local authorities are required to provide details of their Housing Payment expenditure, which enables officials to closely monitor spend to ensure funding is targeted effectively. Information on the use of DHPs in England up to financial year 2025 to 2026 can be found using this link: Discretionary Housing Payments statistics - GOV.UK.
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