Government axes homeless advisors
The government has scrapped its team of expert homelessness advisors despite a dramatic increase in the problem.
In an email sent earlier this month to councils across England, Communities and Local Government department officials said its expert advisors were to be disbanded from 31 March.
The team of four regional advisors and two rough sleeper and youth specialists have provided councils with expert consultancy guidance on how they should meet their statutory homelessness duties - a service described as ‘valuable’ by council bodies - since 2007.
The decision comes in the wake of a 10 per cent increase in homelessness in the last year, and amid warnings from councils that welfare reforms mean they will struggle to house homeless families in expensive areas, such as London. It also follows the departure of another homelessness special advisor Andy Gale last November.
Nigel Minto, head of housing and planning at London Councils, said: ‘The London boroughs have worked closely with CLG special services in the past and found the service to be of great value. It is unfortunate that the department is looking to review the service - particularly in light of increasing levels of homelessness in London and the expectation it will increase in the next 18 months.’
Explaining the decision, a CLG spokesperson said: ‘The previous arrangements of homelessness advisors duplicated the support already available.’
He added that councils should now get assistance from umbrella body Homeless Link and the National Homelessness Advisory Service - both of which are already funded by the government.
However, sources close to the advisors said the team was ‘inexpensive’ and that the reason for the decision was related to ‘tensions’ around having central government advising councils in the context of localism.
Jeremy Swain, chief executive of homelessness charity Thames Reach, said he was ‘deeply concerned’ by the move.
He said: ‘I am concerned that we will be the poorer for not having [special advisors] around. It’s time to refocus - we need conversations between local and central government. Special advisors are part of the cement of that and an important link.’
