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MPs attack proposed homelessness guidance
Proposed homelessness guidance for councils does “not reflect the spirit of the legislation”, a cross-party committee of MPs has said.
The guidance is due to be issued to councils prior to the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act in April 2018.
The act places additional legal responsibilities on councils to tackle homelessness and intervene at an earlier stage to prevent homelessness. The government has committed £61m of additional funds to help local authorities meet the costs of the act.
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But Clive Betts, chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, a cross-party committee which scrutinises the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), has written an open letter to local government minister Marcus Jones, calling for the government to reflect on evidence given to the committee.
Mr Betts said: “The draft code was broadly welcomed but we heard from witnesses that, while the guidance is written to the letter of the law, it was not in the spirit of the law. They told us the guidance could do more to encourage a culture change within housing authorities to prevent homelessness early on.”
He also expressed concerns about the financial calculations behind the legislation, after the Local Government Association and London Councils suggested there could be a £67m funding gap.
“We would like the minister to spell out a full estimate of the costs and savings associated with the new legislation and give an assurance that councils will have the money that they need,” Mr Betts said.
In their recommendations to the committee, Crisis also expressed their concerns that the guidance focused too heavily on those who were not eligible for assistance.
“The guidance should encourage local authorities to see past the minimum duties and act to prevent homelessness,” it said in its report. “We recommend that wherever possible, the guidance makes positive statements about what assistance people are eligible for. This would help to encourage a culture shift towards providing people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with as much help as possible.”
The DCLG has been contacted for comment.
