Housing Payments (formerly Discretionary Housing Payments)

New Hardship Fund

The New Hardship Fund offers a temporary safety net for those in difficult circumstances.

We’ve made it easier for residents facing exceptional financial pressure to access support.

The previous Discretionary Housing Payment and Council Tax Hardship Relief are now combined into one single offer.

If you apply for help, the council will automatically check your eligibility for all available assistance, ensuring appropriate support is provided with ease.

Support is categorised by the following categories:

Group A (critical need)

This includes care leavers, survivors of domestic abuse and people at risk of immediate street homelessness.

Group B (high priority)

Residents facing significant financial pressure who are at risk of falling into a deeper crisis.

Group C (standard hardship)

Anyone else in the borough who meets the criteria for emergency financial support.

This fund is provided through a fixed annual grant from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and through our local general fund through the council.

Who can apply

If you want extra help to pay your rent, you must be receiving Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.

If you want extra help to pay your council tax, you do not need to be receiving council tax reduction. You can still ask for extra help as long as your name appears on the council tax bill.

How to apply

If you pay rent for your home and receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, you can apply for a Housing Payment (HP).

You can also apply for a HP if you own your home and receive council tax reduction.

Apply for a Housing Payment

IMPORTANT - evidence to support your HP application

Please provide as much information as you can on the application form.

You'll need to provide supporting evidence such as current rent statements and bank statements showing income and expenditure.

We consider every HP application once we have received the completed application form and the requested supporting evidence.

Your application may be rejected if you fail to provide the requested supporting evidence.

How we make payments

If you receive Housing Benefit from the council, you'll receive the Housing Payment (HP) to help with your rent along with the payment of Housing Benefit.

If you're receiving the housing costs element of Universal Credit, we'll pay the HP in monthly instalments directly into your bank account.

In some cases we may pay the HP as a lump sum rather than in instalments.

If you receive extra help towards your council tax, we'll credit the HP to your council tax account and send you an amended bill.

Challenging a decision

If you think we have made the wrong decision, the first thing to do is to contact us and ask us to look at the decision again.

With regards to extra help towards your rent, there is no formal right of appeal to an independent tribunal run by the Tribunal Service. This is because the HPs are discretionary and made outside of the Housing Benefit or Universal Credit scheme.

If you think we have made an error in law you may be able to challenge a decision through the High Court. You would need to seek independent legal advice regarding this.

If you do not agree with a decision regarding extra help with council tax, you may be able to appeal to an independent appeal run by The Valuation Tribunal.

View more information about Valuation Tribunals