Issue - meetings

To seek approval for the continuation of the War Pension Disregard in respect of Housing Benefit claims in 2024/25.

The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (War Pensions Disregards) regulations 2007 allow for Local Authorities to develop a local scheme that could disregard War Pension income from the calculation of Housing Benefit.

Since the introduction of Housing Benefit, the Council had always disregarded this income when calculating a claim for Housing Benefit.  The Department for Works and Pension recently requested that each local authority had their local scheme approved each year. 

RESOLVED that the continuation of the current Local Scheme Disregarding War Pensions for Housing Benefit Applications in 2024/25 be approved.

Reason

The Regulations providing for this are the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 paragraph 40(2) and schedule 5, and Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006 paragraph 33(9). Sections 134 and 139 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 provide the Council with the discretion to modify the Housing Benefit scheme by disregarding a further amount, or all, of specified war disablement pensions and payments.