Government must review draft Homelessness Code of Guidance
12 December 2017
Clive Betts, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, calls on the Government to reflect on evidence on the draft Homelessness Code of Guidance. The guidance is due to be issued to councils prior to the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act in April 2018.
- Draft Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (PDF 1.66MB)
- Read written evidence from Crisis on the Homelessness Code of Guidance (PDF 431KB)
- Inquiry: Homelessness Reduction Act
- Communities and Local Government Committee
The move comes after hearing from stakeholders, including homelessness charities Crisis and Shelter and the LGA and London Councils, during the session on the Draft Homeless Code of Guidance for Local Authorities last month.
The letter to Local Government Minister Marcus Jones, who also gave evidence, highlights concerns that the Draft Code of Guidance does not reflect the spirit of the legislation.
It also notes the concerns of the LGA and London Councils that funding for the implementation of the Act is unlikely to be sufficient.
Funding gap of £67million
Clive Betts, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said:
"The draft code was broadly welcomed but we heard from witnesses that, while the guidance is written to the letter of the law, it was not in the spirit of the law. They told us the guidance could do more to encourage a culture change within housing authorities to prevent homelessness early on.
In London, we heard there could be a funding gap of £67million a year for the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, so we would like the Minister to spell out a full estimate of the costs and savings associated with the new legislation and give an assurance that councils will have the money that they need."
Further information
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