MSE News: Struggling with benefit changes? Contact your council - £20m unclaimed last

Confuseddot

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

20yr old would be in a 1-2 bedflat looking for work, get DHP.


20yr old in 2-bed flat getting DLA-ESA WRAG, needs spare room for numerous equipment for his disability, plus carers over night stays, wont get DHP because he gets DLA?


is it me or does that sound a bit discriminative againt the DLA recipient purely because he gets DLA he is substantially better off?

Not quite, if they need an overnight career then they are entitled to 2 bed rate so not really any issue.


However depending on the budget of the council for DHP I suppose the need to look at who is paying out most based on what they get, as housing benefit officer said his council looks at what the DLA etc is spent on and uses that to make decision. With nannytone council they just look at income regardless of outgoings.

lighting_up_the_chalice

brightonman123 wrote: »

local council guy suggested I apply for DHP, even though turned down last year- seems a single person, reasonably healthy, with no dependents, are not worthy of help with dreaded bedroom tax!

Brighton Council will prioritise your application and, through the Transfer Incentive Scheme, offer you assistance with finding alternative accommodation and an incentive of up to £2,500.

How much help do you need?

lighting_up_the_chalice

nannytone wrote: »

i didnt say that.
someone affected by the reduction in housing benefit on my council arent asked what they use their DLA for, they just automatically class it as income.
so its not a case of people not using it for their disability ... the council dont care what it is used for .. it is income!
even though it is disregarded for every other means tested benefit

But the reduction in housing benefit isn't a means tested benefit.

lighting_up_the_chalice

Indie_Kid wrote: »

No we're not. A healthy 20 year doesn't have that many extra costs. Especially when they live at home.

If they lived at home, they certainly wouldn't be getting DHP, which is what is being discussed.

jlawrence

Hi all, should I put it into perspective? I was reading a DWP article a week or two ago that said that from the latest figures available up to £12.2bn a year goes unclaimed for means tested benefits (ESA, JSA, PC, IS, CTB & HB) The £20m is just a drop in the ocean.
Why are we worrying about such a paltry amount when there are millions in this country that are in the depths of poverty not getting what they are entitled to. To me it is disgusting that the government take back this money every year, there is no incentive to make sure it gets paid out to those that are entitled.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

DHP is just a fig leaf to hide the real poverty people are being pushed into by the various welfare reforms.

dippy3103

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

DHP is just a fig leaf to hide the real poverty people are being pushed into by the various welfare reforms.

Totally... DHP is a short term fix. The benefit system is a mess, with the most needy bearing the brunt. The idea behind the under occupancy deductions is a good one - to free up more larger properties. But without smaller properties for people to move into it's not going to work and it's going to push people further into poverty.

missapril75

On the point of DLA being taken into account for some purposes, I just thought the following might be interesting.

I live in Canada now. We manage our normal expenses on a modest income but my partner's health has deteriorated over the last few years. There are high prescription costs (not subsidised like the UK) including one very high one and the full cost of everything for us both exceeds $7000 a month. :shocked:

Of course even wealthy people would have trouble with that and each province has their own systems. Unfortunately, where we live is just about the meanest and when assessing the level of assistance to be allowed, the government takes account of incomes of all others in a household.

They don't apply an appropriate share of Housing costs and assume that if you are a couple and there's another adult in the house, for example, your assessment would be for two-thirds rent or property taxes, oh no.

My daughter works and my 75 year old mother in law lives with us. She gets Canada's equivalent of Pension Credit.

Both of their incomes, cent for cent, dollar for dollar are deducted as if our income.

jlawrence

missapril75 wrote: »

On the point of DLA being taken into account for some purposes, I just thought the following might be interesting.

I live in Canada now. We manage our normal expenses on a modest income but my partner's health has deteriorated over the last few years. There are high prescription costs (not subsidised like the UK) including one very high one and the full cost of everything for us both exceeds $7000 a month. :shocked:

Of course even wealthy people would have trouble with that and each province has their own systems. Unfortunately, where we live is just about the meanest and when assessing the level of assistance to be allowed, the government takes account of incomes of all others in a household.

They don't apply an appropriate share of Housing costs and assume that if you are a couple and there's another adult in the house, for example, your assessment would be for two-thirds rent or property taxes, oh no.

My daughter works and my 75 year old mother in law lives with us. She gets Canada's equivalent of Pension Credit.

Both of their incomes, cent for cent, dollar for dollar are deducted as if our income.

Hi April, sounds like a system that should be adopted over here. Far too much money is being handed out to the wrong people.

missapril75

jlawrence wrote: »

Hi April, sounds like a system that should be adopted over here. Far too much money is being handed out to the wrong people.

Seriously? Take every penny from a 75 year old parent leaving them nothing for themselves?