Mark Isherwood
Shadow Housing, Local Government and Communities Minister Mark Isherwood AM is concerned that only three of the 22 local authorities in Wales applied for extra UK Government funding to help mitigate the impact of housing benefit changes.
Raising the matter in the Assembly Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood AM asked the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Jeff Cuthber AM, what is being done to establish why the other 19 local authorities have not drawn down the additional funding.
He said:
“Given the statement in last week’s Westminster Hall debate on housing benefit changes in Wales by the Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, that only three local authorities—Cardiff, Conwy and Caerphilly—out of the 22 had bid for the additional £20 million top-up fund announced by the UK Government to support tenants, particularly the most vulnerable tenants, affected by the changes, will you establish, or endeavour to work with colleagues to establish, why the other 19 local authorities had not endeavoured to draw down that additional money?”
The Minister replied: “I will discuss that willingly with my colleague the Minister for local government, but the financial pressures on local authorities and the way in which they have to prioritise are very strong indeed.”
