Councils will be able to insist priority need homeless people accept private sector housing under government proposals. Local authorities can currently offer homeless people who they have a duty to house under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 private sector accommodation, but the applicant can refuse it. The CLG says this means only around 7 per cent of homeless cases are housed in the private sector, with around 70 per cent in social housing. A consultation paper on reform of social housing published today notes temporary accommodation is expensive and whilst someone has ‘a priority need for accommodation, they may not necessarily need social housing’. The consultation document is also seeking views on reforms needed to tackle overcrowding, pointing out 260,000 households in the social rented sector are ‘blighted’ by the problem. It suggests other proposals in the document will help ease overcrowding, as will measures strengthening home swap provisions. Read more on Inside Housing.
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