Minister calls for ‘accountability’ for councils failing temporary accommodation standards

Ms McGovern would not comment on the idea of an independent regulator, but said she had clear expectations that local authorities take control over the quality of temporary accommodation.

“What I want to see is clarity with local authorities about what we want and expect, and then accountability,” she said. “The local outcomes framework we’re introducing is part of that as well, as are all the other ways in which we hold local authorities to account.”

In her session at the conference, Ms McGovern said a key way to ensure accountability is through the funding allocated for local authorities to own their own temporary accommodation.

“Local authority temporary accommodation isn’t perfect, either, but at least the council, if it owns it, it can change it and shape it and improve facilities,” she said. “And that investment also means local authorities have got assets that they can reshape over time.”

She added: “I think if we are continually in this world where local authorities are totally beholden to a market that they have very little influence over for temporary accommodation... these risks definitely get worse.

“So I’m working with colleagues in the Treasury and with DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] at the moment to try to work out what the levers are that we need to pull in central government to reshape this market for temporary accommodation.”

After the session, she spoke to Inside Housing further about how local authority funding could aid this.

“I’ve been trying to reconnect local authority funding with deprivation, so that some of the places that are most affected by homelessness are more likely to have the resources to deal with it,” she said.

“It can’t all be about just telling local authorities when they’re getting it wrong, it has to be also about recognising the situation that they’re in.”

She added: “We’ve tried to take the steps on local authority funding to make sure that they are in a much stronger position, and that has to be done alongside accountability and transparency over where the problems are.”

She also discussed out-of-area temporary accommodation placements, following coverage in The Guardian at the weekend. Ms McGovern said that the government was prepared to “clamp down on the worst form of [temporary accommodation]”, and that a review is currently underway.

Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP and chair of the Commons housing select committee, urged ministers to “seriously examine introducing a limit on the distance of all out-of-area placements”.

Speaking to Inside Housing, Ms McGovern said she is particularly concerned about children becoming disconnected from education and health services, and a lack of communication between local authorities.

“We’ve got to make sure that local authorities co-ordinate properly, and that does seem to be a problem in the examples that that I’ve seen.”

Earlier this year, Ms McGovern told a Westminster Hall debate that she was “on the hunt” for local authorities where guidance on out-of-area placements needs to be strengthened and that notifications between local authorities making out-of-area temporary accommodation placements are “not good enough”.

However, Ms McGovern did say she is feeling “incredibly positive” about areas of the homelessness strategy, particularly the reduction in numbers of families in B&B temporary accommodation for more than six weeks, which was a key government target.

“I’m really anxious that we will not just hit the target, but that we will fulfil that target in the spirit with which it was intended, not just the specific technicalities,” she said.

“And I think we can do that, I feel really positive about that.”