Local authority discretionary support: help beyond benefits

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are extra payments made by your local council to help with housing costs that cannot be fully covered by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element. They are intended as a short-term measure for people experiencing hardship. Common scenarios where DHPs are awarded include: a gap between your LHA rate and your rent that you are struggling to cover, a change in circumstances that has temporarily reduced your income, or a transition period before moving to cheaper accommodation. DHPs are discretionary, not guaranteed, and councils have limited budgets. You apply through your local council's housing benefit department, explaining your circumstances and why you need help. Awards are typically made for a limited period — often 4-13 weeks.

All councils must offer a council tax reduction scheme, but these vary significantly in generosity. The national scheme (which applies to pensioners) can reduce council tax by up to 100%, but for working-age people, many councils have reduced their schemes since 2013. However, councils can use their discretionary powers to provide additional support for residents facing hardship. Some councils offer: hardship funds that can reduce or write off council tax for households in severe financial difficulty, second adult reductions where you share your home with someone on low income, and empty property reductions for unoccupied properties. Check your council's specific scheme on their website — it should be called something like 'Council Tax Support Scheme' or 'Council Tax Reduction Scheme'.

Many councils operate emergency assistance schemes funded by the Household Support Fund or similar grants. These typically provide food bank vouchers, emergency energy payments, or cash grants for essential household items to residents in severe hardship who have no other means of support. These schemes are explicitly designed for crisis situations and are often accessed through Citizens Advice, local food banks, or directly via the council website. Eligibility typically requires that you are not already receiving adequate support from other means, that you are facing an emergency or crisis, and that you have no savings to draw on. As these schemes are funded through time-limited grants, availability can fluctuate. When the Household Support Fund has been available, councils have distributed grants ranging from £50 to several hundred pounds per household.