Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Acknowledged
Mandate local authorities to conduct mandatory temporary accommodation inspections and publish annual reports.
Recommendation
Some local authorities are not taking sufficient account of the needs of children and families when making decisions on temporary accommodation placements. Many local authorities do not carry out any regular inspections of the conditions in the accommodation they use to house families. This is unacceptable. (Conclusion, Paragraph 26) The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government must require all local authorities in England to carry out mandatory inspections of housing before it is first used as temporary accommodation, and whenever new residents are placed in the property. All local authorities should publish annual reports online to set out an overview of the main findings of these 43 inspections. The Government should provide additional funding, in line with the new burdens doctrine, to local authorities to ensure that they can carry out and report on these inspections. (Recommendation, Paragraph 26) Bed & Breakfast temporary accommodation
Government Response Summary
The government stated it would consider strengthening the Homelessness Code of Guidance regarding safeguarding considerations for temporary accommodation placements and develop toolkits and practical guidance for placement management, but did not commit to mandatory inspections or additional funding.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
15. Current legislation is very clear that B&B accommodation is not suitable for children and should only be used in emergencies and then only for a maximum of six weeks. B&B accommodation is privately managed, meaning the council has less control over who else the household might be sharing facilities with, increasing safeguarding risks for children. It is for this reason government is clear B&B accommodation is not suitable for families and we are determined to eliminate its use for families other than where no other accommodation is available, and then only for a maximum of six weeks. 16. For placements into other forms of temporary accommodation where facilities are shared, we strongly agree with the Committee on the need for local authorities to consider safeguarding risks. We do not agree with the Committee that councils should never place families in accommodation where facilities are shared with single adults. While we agree it should be rare, there will be instances where well managed placements can be appropriate; for example, placing a single young person in a family hostel for a short period in an emergency may be more appropriate than placing them in an adult hostel. We will, however, consider how to strengthen the Homelessness Code of Guidance in relation to safeguarding considerations when making TA placements as well as development of toolkits and practical guidance for good temporary accommodation placement management.