Westminster Council's Discretionary Housing Payments Review Advisory Panel convened on 14 October 2025 to discuss the review of refused Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). The panel considered two review requests, but the portion of the meeting concerning individual cases was held in private.
DHPs are payments made by local authorities to provide financial assistance towards housing costs. These payments are typically short-term, intended to support residents through difficult times.
The panel consists of Councillor Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Councillor Maggie Carman, Deputy Cabinet Member - Adult Social Care, Supported and Specialist Housing, and Councillor Anthony Devenish.
According to the agenda frontsheet, the public and press were excluded from the portion of the meeting discussing the DHP reviews. The stated reason for this exclusion, as outlined in the public reports pack, was to protect information relating to any individual.
Citing the Local Government Act 1972, the council determined that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.
