The 'bedroom tax' has resulted in thousands of people being “driven into destitution” as councils run out of the emergency funds set aside to rescue those worst affected.{jcomments on}
Ministers have always maintained that those forced into hardship by the tax can apply to their council for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) to help cover their rent.
But The Independent reports that many councils had already exceeded their budget for DHPs in February, weeks before the end of the financial year on 31 March, even though the Government had increased the money available to local authorities. The Government disputes the figures.
Some councils have to turn away as many as three quarters of those asking for help, according to Freedom of Information requests to 311 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales by the False Economy campaign group.
One in five councils rejected more than 40 per cent of applications for DHPs in the past year.
Demand for DHPs across the country has soared by more than 300 per cent within months of the introduction of the bedroom tax. The welfare cap and other benefit reforms have also boosted demand.
Read the full story in the Independent
