Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Deferred
England lacks a statutory homelessness strategy despite past committee recommendation and government agreement
Recommendation
Each of the UK devolved administrations has an overarching homelessness strategy or action plan. In late 2023, the Welsh Government also issued a consultation on homelessness, including proposals such as: extending local authorities’ prevention duty to six months; targeting prevention activities towards those most at risk; and improving standards relating to the suitability of accommodation. In addition, in March 2024, the Scottish Government introduced a housing bill that included new duties around homelessness prevention and strengthening tenants’ rights. By contrast, there is no strategy or target for statutory homelessness in England, even though this Committee recommended this in 2017, and the Government subsequently agreed to publish a strategy by July 2018.34
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to produce a homelessness strategy for England, committing to engage with devolved administrations beforehand, but the target implementation date is after the Spending Review 2025.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
5.7 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: after Spending Review 2025 5.8 MHCLG is always keen to learn from other countries’ approaches and apply that to policy in England where appropriate. In particular, the government has been monitoring the implementation and impact of reforms to the private rented sector in Scotland, to inform its own Renters Rights Bill. Ministers and officials engage regularly with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss a range of issues, including tackling homelessness, and MHCLG will engage with all of the devolved administrations prior to publication of the homelessness strategy.