Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people in receipt of Local Housing Allowance with housing costs.

In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increased to the 30^th percentile of local market rents for one year at a cost of £7bn over 5 years.

For those in receipt of LHA who need further support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and can be used to support with a rent deposit, rent in advance, a shortfall in rent, and other associated costs with housing need such as moving costs.

We also appreciate the importance of increasing availability of affordable housing. The Government will publish a Long-Term Housing Strategy in the Spring which will set out a plan to reform the housing market so that it works better for communities, to build 1.5m high-quality homes, and delivers the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation.