March 2023 – Local Authorities to Review Housing Benefit Caseload

Setting out the background to the requirement the DWP highlights the lack of data on exempt accommodation and recommended that data improvements should be made within 12 months.

The DWP adds that, while IT changes to improve the quality of supported housing and temporary accommodation management information were implemented between April 2022 and June 2022, this does not resolve the situation for the majority of the stock of older housing benefit claims. As a result New Burdens funding of up to £5 million has been secured to pay local authorities to undertake a desk-based review of their whole housing benefit caseload, in order to accurately record the data.

Local authorities must

Carry out a desk-based review of their whole housing benefit caseload between now and 31 March 2024, to determine if claimants are living in supported housing, temporary accommodation or neither, and record as such on their systems (including the type of supported housing where applicable) and

Keep this information up-to-date for all currently in receipt of housing benefit, and for new housing benefit cases going forward

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