Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
DLUHC lacks accurate homelessness data for Ukrainian households due to incomplete local authority reporting.
Conclusion
The NAO found that DLUHC did not accurately know how many people on the scheme were likely to become homeless soon or had already experienced homelessness, as 30% of English local authorities regularly failed to provide homelessness data on the scheme to DLUHC.23 We therefore asked DLHUC why it did not have a full and accurate picture of the situation. DLHUC recognised that “not all local authorities provide this data and not all of them provide it consistently” but told us that the vast majority submitted “at least some data”. It asserted that it did not have any reason to suggest that those who were not providing data were outliers, or that the overall position on homelessness was more 18 C&AG’s Report para 3.2 19 Qq 38–42 20 Qq 25 and 32 21 C&AG’s Report para 4.16 22 HM Government, Autumn Statement 2023, CP977, November 2023 23 Q 47; C&AG’s Report para 4.12 Homes for Ukraine 13 serious in those places than in areas that were reporting it.24 DLUHC told us that the last data return had been submitted by more than 70% of local authorities and considered that the data it did receive was representative and sufficient to track trends so that it could respond accordingly with policy interventions.25
Government Response Summary
DLUHC has already taken action to improve local authority response rates for Ukraine homelessness data, achieving a 90% rate in February 2024 through engagement, reminders, and data imputation. The department will continue these efforts and utilize experts to understand local pressures.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 2.2 The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has already taken action to improve how many local authorities respond to data collection on Ukraine homelessness. The department has worked closely with local authorities to boost the response rate, identifying where submissions are missing, incomplete or of poor quality. 2.3 Local authorities are also sent multiple reminders to complete their returns and where appropriate, can request brief extensions for submission. The effectiveness of these efforts is reflected in the latest collection (February 2024), which received a 90% response rate, increasing from a 67% response rate in June 2023. 2.4 To maintain a high response, the department will continue to work closely with local authorities through the actions set out above. Where local authorities do not respond to a particular collection, the department imputes data on the number of homelessness duties owed from their last response to maintain an accurate picture of trends. Using this approach, the latest publication included data for the number of duties owed from 98% of local authorities. 2.5 Alongside collecting the management information, the department works closely with local authorities through the Homelessness Advice and Support Team, a team of experts seconded in from the homelessness sector, to understand local pressures.