To approve the request for additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding, and to approve the new Discretionary Housing Payments Policy.

The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) requesting additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding, and to approval of the new Discretionary Housing Payments Policy.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Provide £34,000 from the Homeless Contingency Budget as funding for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP), allowing the Council to spend the maximum amount on DHP permitted by regulations and ensuring that the maximum number of tenancies can be sustained;

(2)   Adopt the changes in the Council’s DHP policy outlined in Section 4 of the report and particularly paragraph 4.4 and to agree the amended policy as set out in Appendix 1 to the report;

(3)   Delegate authority to amend the policy during the year, in order to keep DHP spend within permitted limits, to the Head of Customer Services in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Customer Services and the Head of Housing and Communities;

(4)   Keep the DHP function within the Benefits Service;

(5)   Ensure the Department of Work and Pensions was informed about the requirement for Oxford to overspend its DHP Grant.