A COUNCIL has handed back thousands of pounds intended to help vulnerable people meet rent payments.
Lewisham Council received £181,931 from the Government in the financial year 2006 to 2007, but only spent £97,857 and gave back £84,074.
Cash is allocated to local authorities to make discretionary payments to help residents on housing benefit meet their costs.
However, only 149 out of 408 councils spent all of the grant given to them.
Homeless charity Centrepoint has campaigned to raise councils' awareness of the discretionary payments.
But Lewisham Council said a pilot scheme which gives people more housing benefit has reduced applications for the payments.
A spokesman said: "A significant amount of the fund was returned to the Department for Work and Pensions in 2006/7, due to the implementation of the local housing allowance in Lewisham."
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