Watchdog takes action over 'misleading' DCLG stats

In a report published on Thursday, the UK Statistics Authority criticised the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) method of publishing homelessness figures for England.

It called on the department to take “urgent actions, including presenting them [the figures] in their proper context”. The UK Statistics Authority said until the DCLG does this, the figures cannot be classed as national statistics.

The DCLG publishes three sets of homelessness statistics – for statutory homelessness, homelessness prevention and relief, and rough sleeping.

In its report, the UK Statistics Authority said two of these sets of figures – on homelessness prevention and rough sleeping – “do not currently meet the standard to be national statistics”.

Statutory homelessness figures record how many formal homelessness applications are made to councils, while prevention and relief figures record how many people councils have helped to stop becoming homeless.

The number of people receiving homelessness prevention and relief from councils has increased by 33% between 2009/10 and 2014/15, and housing figures have said these numbers should be recorded alongside statutory homelessness figures in order to fully represent the problem in England.

“The [UK Statistics] Authority considers that the statutory homelessness statistics, presented as they are, without the broader context of increasing local authority prevention and relief activity, are potentially misleading,” the report said.

It called on the department to improve the figures and publish them more regularly. Although statutory homelessness figures are published quarterly, prevention and relief statistics are published annually.

A report by Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in February, combining different sets of statistics, found that the number of people facing homelessness had risen significantly by 9% in 2013/14 to 280,000 cases – and by more than a third since 2009/10. This was more than four times the increase in official homelessness figures.

The report also found that nearly two-thirds of local authorities think the figures do not reflect the situation in their area.

The DCLG will be expected to report to the UK Statistics Authority by July 2016. The DCLG has been contacted for comment.