The local welfare safety net Contents

Contents

Terms of Reference

Our definition of the local welfare safety net

Council Tax support

Discretionary Housing Payments

Local welfare assistance schemes

Our inquiry and this Report

2 Realising the opportunities of localisation

Single teams and joined up services

Mitigating the impacts of reductions in entitlements

Replicating Croydon’s approach

3 Managing the risks

Better joint-working and integration with Jobcentre Plus

Effects of Council Tax debt collection

4 Flexibility balanced by protections

Discretionary Housing Payments

DHPs, disabled people and their carers

Local welfare assistance schemes

Local connection criteria

Cash support in local welfare schemes

5 Sustainable funding

DHPs: calculation and distribution of individual allocations

Use of DHPs for temporary accommodation for homeless people

Funding for local welfare assistance

Transfer of financial risk

Changes to local government finance in England

6 Robust evaluation

DCLG review of local Council Tax support schemes

DWP and NAO reviews of local welfare assistance

Conclusions and recommendations

Published written evidence

List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament

© Parliamentary copyright 2015

Prepared 11 January 2016