Districts lose out on housing funds for abuse victims

摘要

District councils have been squeezed out of new burdens funding for housing victims of domestic abuse due to a £8,000 cut off point. Under the new Domestic Abuse Act, victims of abuse seeking housing have been changed from 'vulnerable' to 'priority' in a bid to ensure no one stays with an abusive partner. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has allocated an extra £1.5m to cover the new burden - but with an £8,000 cut off for the funding below which councils are not allocated any cash. As a result of the cut off only larger authorities will benefit from the new burdens cash, leaving district councils - those responsible for housing in two tier areas - without additional funding. Chairman of the District Councils' Network, Cllr John Fuller, said: 'Where we are dealing with these difficult cases, the suggestion there is a material limit to funding doesn't add up.'