Most of annual homes fund spent in 6 months

MANCHESTER council has already spent more than twothirds of its annual budget for emergency housing payments in less than six months.

Department for Work and Pensions figures show that the council spent £1.66m, between April and September last year, on helping people on benefits who are struggling to cover housing costs.

The government awarded the council £2.43m for the Discretion- ary Housing Payment scheme for the 2018-19 financial year.

The money is meant to last until March, but by September, just half way through the financial year, the council had already spent 68 per cent. Payments can be awarded to claimants if they have been affected by specific housing policies and could be at risk of homelessness, or if they have emergency costs unrelated to welfare reforms.

Of the money spent so far, the largest proportion 33pc, was due to due to the benefit cap.

Financial assistance charity Turn2us said that while the payments are a “vital source of income” for vulnerable people, they are not a long-term solution to the housing crisis.

Campaigns manager, Matthew Geer, said: “Many local authorities across the country have already spent their funding allocated to Discretionary Housing Payments.

“This is just one of the many symptoms of a broken housing system.”

In Salford, its council has spent more than half of its £952,524 annual budget, with payments already totalling £487,379

Stockport town hall has spent £186,498 of its £459,166 budget

In Tameside, its council has spent two-fifths of its annual total - £290,063 from £670,240.

Manchester was £383,724 over budget last year. Councils are allowed to overspend, but any extra spending comes out of its own funds.