Councils 'Not Informed' When Receiving Homeless Londoners

Councils in south-east England say they are often not told when homeless families are sent to their areas by London boroughs who cannot house them. Some say they are not given crucial information about child-welfare concerns unless there were already formal child protection plans in place. Many councils say they are not told how many such families are in their patch, which is in breach of housing laws. More than 2,000 London homeless families were placed outside the capital in 2015-16, according to co-ordinating body London Councils - a threefold rise on the number three years earlier. Read more on the BBC.

London Councils Trying To Force Homeless Families Out Of Capital

A handful of London councils are making aggressive use of legal powers to make “take or leave it” offers of housing in locations far away from the capital in an attempt to permanently resettle hundreds of homeless families. Officials are giving households 24 hours to accept private rented homes in the West Midlands, Essex and the south-east, warning that if they refuse the council will consider them to have become “intentionally homeless” and withdraw support. Research suggests half of offers made by 28 councils in locations in the West Midlands, more than 100 miles from London, are rejected, suggesting that many families are prepared to risk becoming homeless again rather than be uprooted from jobs and family support networks. Read more on the Guardian website.

Plan To Move Homeless People Out Of London

Westminster Council is moving homeless people out of London to combat the high cost of temporary housing. Homeless people will be shifted from the borough and relocated to places elsewhere in the UK - likely the home counties - from January 30. The council has argued it will enable people to “put down local roots”, despite many of them having been born in London. It said it will help them find a job and access education and healthcare once they have been relocated. Read more on the Evening Standard website.