Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
Inter-ministerial group plans cross-government homelessness strategy for delivery by 2025
Recommendation
MHCLG explained that an inter-ministerial group on homelessness now exists, and it chairs the equivalent officials group. It plans to produce a cross-government strategy for tackling homelessness in 2025, which will include a number of metrics and set out the way that progress against these metrics will be measured. We challenged MHCLG on whether the inter- ministerial group will remove the need for the 15 cross-government boards 34 HM Treasury, Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fourth to the Eleventh reports from Session 2017–19, Cm 9575, March 2018; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.12, 2.13 35 TH0015 36 TH0020 37 TH0021 16 whose work is relevant to homelessness. It explained that the boards will still have a role in considering the main issues within their remit, such as asylum accommodation or mental health. But the inter-ministerial group is the place where all the work across government that is specifically focused on homelessness will come together.38
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation to improve cross-government efficiency, committing to consolidate various homelessness grants into a single grant from 2025-26 and exploring further consolidation into the Local Government Finance Settlement from 2026-27.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: after Spending Review 2025 5.2 For 2025-26, MHCLG will be consolidating its main rough sleeping and single homelessness focused grants (Rough Sleeping Initiative, which includes Housing First funding, and Accommodation for Ex Offenders) into a single grant outside of the Settlement, to run alongside the Homelessness Prevention Grant. These two, targeted grants will put an end to bidding processes and enable local authorities to more efficiently and flexibly plan and deliver services. 5.3 From 2026-27, MHCLG is planning reform of the wider local government finance system with a consultation currently open on the principles and objectives that underpin these changes. This will include an updated assessment of local authorities’ need and their available resources. In addition to reforming how funding is distributed, the government has committed to simplifying the wider local funding landscape, reducing the number of individual grants and consolidating them into the Local Government Finance Settlement where possible. This will provide local authorities with more flexibility to meet the needs of local people, and to decide how best to deliver on national priorities. 5.4 As part of these reforms, MHCLG will explore options for aligning Homelessness Prevention Grant funding with rough sleeping funding and consider whether and how to consolidate homelessness grant funding into the Local Government Finance Settlement. The government is committed to resetting the relationship with local government and providing greater freedoms. MHCLG is considering how to deliver this consolidation in a way that ensures homelessness pressures are addressed and supports government’s commitment to getting back on track to ending homelessness, alongside meeting these wider ambitions.