TENANTS in Glasgow face further misery as the councils allocation for cash to help with hardship has been slashed by more than £1m.

 

And there are fears that it could get worse when the Chancellor announced where he will get £12bn of welfare cuts in his post election summer budget.

The Scottish Parliament Welfare Reform Committee heard how the city was particularly hard hit this year as the DWP cut the allocation for Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities.

Jeremy Hewer of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said as the bedroom tax was mitigated and cash put in by the Scottish Government other reasons for needing help with housing suffered.

He said that another £60m was given to mitigate Bedroom tax, but the allocations for other areas was cut seeing an overall reduction from £165m to £125m.

He said: "A couple of local authorities did better but Glasgow was notable worse with a £1m reduction.

"As a result some cases where previous claimants have had their award turned down or reduced."

He said if further cuts to DHP are included in the still to be identified £12bn welfare cuts announced by the Conservatives if they won the election.

Mr Hewer said: "It would have a detrimental impact on tenants. Bedroom tax mitigation has done a lot but there a group of folk not entitled to DHP"

He said removing housing benefit entitlement for under 25s would bar them for Discretionary Housing Payments.

He said: "The impact on them would be even more acute."

Committee convenor Michael McMahon said members had visited a community centre in Edinburgh where people had concerns they would lose out despite the bedroom tax being mitigated.

He said: "There is a situation developing where DHP is diverted from people who previously have received it because officials are so focussed on getting it to people affected by bedroom Tax."

Child poverty campaigners said there will be a shortfall in the coming year

Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland said in a written submission to the committee it was also concerned that funds allocated by the UK Government and the Scottish Government for DHPs may prove insufficient in the coming year.

It stated: "This could result in vulnerable tenants struggling to cover their housing costs.

"In part, this is because there has been an overall fall in the amount available for DHPs. While the Scottish Government has committed to topping up funds by £35

million, the DWP has reduced the amount it will make available for DHPs from £165 million in 2014/15 to £125 million in 2015/16. Scotland's share has been reduced by 7%, from £15.3 million in 2014/15 to £14.2 million in 2015/16."

It added: "In Glasgow, however, there has been a reduction from £2,724,843 in 2014/15 to £1,651,754 in 2015/16."