Recommendations & Conclusions
26 items
1
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We recognise the enormous success of the early stages of the Everyone In programme, made possible through cross-sector collaboration, substantial funding, and joint working towards a clear goal.
Government response. We recognise the enormous success of the early stages of the Everyone In programme, made possible through cross-sector collaboration, substantial funding, and joint working towards a clear goal.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
2
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We recommend the Government immediately issues clear guidance to local authorities stating that they can and should use their legal powers under the Local Government Act 1972 and NHS Act 2006 to find accommodation for those otherwise ineligible for support during a public health emergency.
Government response. This Department has and continues to work with local authorities regarding support that can be offered to those individuals ineligible for statutory homelessness support under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996. This includes those with an NRPF condition attached …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
3
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We recommend that the Government creates a cross-Government task force to resolve the conflict between the commitment to end rough sleeping and the current policy on the no recourse to public funds condition. This will require collecting data on the number of people affected and their specific circumstances.
Government response. The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping. The Department will be working with partners across Government, including the Home Office, to build on recent progress and consider what more needs to be done to end rough sleeping, which will …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
4
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We call on the Government to publish an exit plan for the private rented sector from national and local restrictions. Now the Government has published its roadmap for how to exit national restrictions, hopefully for the final time, it should set out how it intends for the sector to transition …
Government response. Protecting renters from eviction The Government has introduced an unprecedented set of measures to prevent people from losing their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken included a six month stay on possession proceedings, restrictions on bailiff …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
5
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government will eventually have to come up with a policy response, because it cannot keep extending the evictions ban forever more.
Government response. Protecting renters from eviction The Government has introduced an unprecedented set of measures to prevent people from losing their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken included a six month stay on possession proceedings, restrictions on bailiff …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
6
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We call on the Government to deliver a specific financial package—we prefer discretionary housing payments—to support tenants to repay rent arrears caused by covid-19, in consultation with the Local Government Association and appropriate bodies representing renters and landlords. We received an estimate that this package will likely cost between £200 …
Government response. This Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship, we increased the local housing allowance (LHA) in April 2020 …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
7
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We recognise the enormous success of the early stages of the Everyone In programme, made possible through cross-sector collaboration, substantial funding and joint working towards a clear goal.
Government response. We recognise the enormous success of the early stages of the Everyone In programme, made possible through cross-sector collaboration, substantial funding, and joint working towards a clear goal.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
8
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We do not accept the Government’s reasoning for why it cannot produce figures on the number of people subject to the no recourse to public funds condition. The cost and administrative burden of doing so are not sufficient arguments, given how useful the data would be. Without transparent data, it …
Government response. We recognise the desire for the Government to publish data on the number of migrants in the UK who are subject to a no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition at any given time, but there is no single figure …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
9
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
There are substantial differences between a well-established severe weather emergency protocol, which provides short-term accommodation, often in night shelters or other communal spaces, and providing long-term accommodation in self-contained en-suite units with significant wraparound support. While there can be some similarities—especially the principle of ‘In for Good’—this is undermined by …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
Everyone In by definition has finished. The Government believes Everyone In continues to exist, but by its own admission it is no longer helping everyone. The principle of Everyone In was that everyone, no matter what their normal eligibility for homelessness assistance, would be provided with accommodation to self-isolate by …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
11
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We call on the Government to return to the spirit of the early pandemic and re- commit to Everyone In. This requires providing legal clarity for local authorities. We recommend the Government immediately issues clear guidance to local authorities stating that they can and should use their legal powers under …
Government response. This Department has and continues to work with local authorities regarding support that can be offered to those individuals ineligible for statutory homelessness support under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996. This includes those with an NRPF condition attached …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
12
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
No recourse to public funds has been an obstacle to reducing rough sleeping for a long time: the pandemic has just shone a spotlight on its impact. If the Government is serious about meeting its manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024, it must reform the no recourse to …
Government response. The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping. The Department will be working with partners across Government, including the Home Office, to build on recent progress and consider what more needs to be done to end rough sleeping, which will …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
13
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We recommend that the Government creates a cross-Government task force to resolve the conflict between the commitment to end rough sleeping and the current policy on the no recourse to public funds condition. This will require collecting data on the number of people affected and their specific circumstances. It must …
Government response. The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping. The Department will be working with partners across Government, including the Home Office, to build on recent progress and consider what more needs to be done to end rough sleeping, which will …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
No formal review of the Government’s manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping has yet happened, due to the pandemic. We recommend the Government appoints a successor to Baroness Casey within the coming months to lead the review. This important work should not be delayed any further. The review must focus …
Government response. When the pandemic began in March 2020, Baroness Casey volunteered to lead the government’s response to keep rough sleepers safe and subsequently led the COVID-19 Rough Sleeping Taskforce to deliver the next steps following the emergency response. We are very …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
15
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We ask the Government to update us on whether it has achieved its target of delivering 3,300 housing units by March 2021 through its Next Steps Accommodation Programme.
Government response. In May 2020, the Government announced the decision to accelerate delivery of the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in recognition of the need for move-on homes for those in emergency accommodation following the success …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
16
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
There has been a lack of recent focus from the Government on wider homelessness, including those suffering in cramped, poor quality temporary accommodation for long periods of time during the pandemic. The Government must ensure its increased homelessness funding does not only benefit those suffering from visible homelessness.
Government response. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head. The Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs. In …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
17
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government will fail in its homelessness objectives if it continues to oversee the delivery of just a few thousand social rent homes a year. The ongoing shortage of social housing is a clear, long-term obstacle to finding suitable accommodation for people suffering homelessness, as well as forcing local authorities …
Government response. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head. The Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs. In …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
18
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government is in danger of breaking its pledge that no one should lose their home as a result of the pandemic. We have seen no satisfactory evidence for why the Government changed the definition of substantial rent arrears to permit tenants who have built up arrears only during the …
Government response. Protecting renters from eviction The Government has introduced an unprecedented set of measures to prevent people from losing their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken included a six month stay on possession proceedings, restrictions on bailiff …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
19
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We call on the Government to publish a proper exit plan for the private rented sector from national and local restrictions. The Government has tinkered regularly with the eviction framework, usually at the very last minute. Now the Government has published its roadmap for how to exit national restrictions, hopefully …
Government response. Protecting renters from eviction The Government has introduced an unprecedented set of measures to prevent people from losing their homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken included a six month stay on possession proceedings, restrictions on bailiff …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
20
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We are concerned by the lack of robust data available to the Government on the value of rent arrears and how it equates to months of arrears, and by the impact this lack of data may have on policy-making.
Government response. We are concerned by the lack of robust data available to the Government on the value of rent arrears and how it equates to months of arrears, and by the impact this lack of data may have on policy-making.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
21
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government appears to lack a clear strategy to deal with rising rent arrears. We are very concerned that the Government is waiting until there is a clear crisis emerging before intervening, rather than heading off a growing rent arrears crisis by taking proactive action to protect people in this …
Government response. This Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship, we increased the local housing allowance (LHA) in April 2020 …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
22
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We call on the Government to deliver a specific financial package to support tenants to repay rent arrears caused by covid-19, having considered the examples in Scotland and Wales as well as many other international examples. This should be one of the Department’s top priorities. Several options have been proposed—we …
Government response. This Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship, we increased the local housing allowance (LHA) in April 2020 …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
23
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government should review its decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates by maintaining the 30th percentile in cash terms only, and instead keep rates indexed at the 30th percentile long-term. This will help households across England to afford their rent. (Paragraph 94) Protecting the homeless and the private rented …
Government response. This Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship, we increased the local housing allowance (LHA) in April 2020 …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
24
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We also call on the Government to temporarily boost funding to discretionary housing payments to meet the needs of the tens of thousands of households who are receiving no extra income from welfare increases due to the benefit cap. This will further protect households from falling into rent arrears because …
Government response. This Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship, we increased the local housing allowance (LHA) in April 2020 …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
25
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
The Government must introduce the Renters’ Reform Bill urgently. The Government does not want to introduce the Renters’ Reform Bill until the pandemic has finished, but this is at odds with the approach the Government has taken with NHS reforms. The Health Secretary told the House that the pandemic made …
Government response. As set out in the 2021 Queen’s Speech, the Government is committed to delivering a Better Deal for Renters, including abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions to improve security for tenants, as well as strengthening repossession grounds for landlords when …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
26
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Protecting the homeless …
We reiterate our offer to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the Renters’ Reform Bill, should the Government choose to publish the Bill in draft. (Paragraph 99) 40 Protecting the homeless and the private rented sector: MHCLG’s response to Covid-19
Government response. As set out in the 2021 Queen’s Speech, the Government is committed to delivering a Better Deal for Renters, including abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions to improve security for tenants, as well as strengthening repossession grounds for landlords when …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government