‘The Court of Appeal has ruled against granting a judicial review of Essex County Council over whether a teenager who might have become homeless was entitled to ‘former relevant child’ status.’
Local Government Lawyer, 12th December 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Michael Owen, Sumi Begum and May Atkinson round up the latest cases and court decisions of interest to housing associations and local authorities.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th December 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Begum, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Tower Hamlets (2024) EWHC 2279 (Admin) – Ms Begum had applied as homeless to Tower Hamlets in 2001. She was given temporary accommodation in a studio flat. 5 months later her first child was born. In June 2022, she complained about the suitability of the studio, which at that time was still s.188 accommodation. In October 2022, Tower Hamlets accepted the full duty. An internal memo recorded that Ms B had requested a transfer due to overcrowding. By March 2023, Ms B was pregnant with her second child, with a due date in September 2023. Between May and July 2023 there was correspondence between Ms B’s solicitors and Tower Hamlets on the suitability of the accommodation. The present claim was issued and interim relief ordered in August 2023. Three days later, Tower Hamlets made an offer of accommodation which Ms B accepted.’
Nearly Legal, 20th October 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets failed to consider the impact of placing a vulnerable family with a history of PTSD from domestic abuse in mixed-sex shared accommodation.’
Local Government Lawyer, 14th October 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘RR, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Enfield (2024) EWHC 2501 (Admin). This was a judicial review challenge to LB Enfield’s allocation policy for priority on the housing register, on the basis that it discrimated against disabled applicants who had the full housing duty under Part VII Housing Act 1996, who were also disabled.’
Nearly Legal, 13th October 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has resisted a claim that a database of homeless applicants either needing or requesting a move to alternative accommodation, was a “waiting list” or means of delaying suitable accommodation being provided, and that it put women at a disadvantage.’
Local Government Lawyer, 9th October 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Birmingham City Council placed a family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 58 weeks, one year more than the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with family commitments, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found.’
Local Government Lawyer, 30th September 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Care leavers under 25, domestic abuse survivors and all UK Armed Forces veterans are to be exempt from rules which require a connection to a local area before accessing social housing, the Government has announced.’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th September 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found fault in the actions of Devon County Council after it left a teenager with needs including Autism and ADHD less than a week away from being made homeless because the council had not decided where he should live when he became 18.’
Local Government Lawyer, 22nd August 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found that Birmingham City Council failed to provide suitable accommodation to a family placed in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation for more than 26 weeks, 20 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children.’
Local Government Lawyer, 22nd August 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The London Borough of Bexley failed to secure suitable accommodation for claimant ZRR in breach of section 190 of the Housing Act 1996 and failed to conduct a lawful needs assessment of her children under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, the High Court has found.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th August 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘ZRR, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Bexley (2024) EWHC 2073 (Admin). This was a judicial review of Bexley’s contention that temporary accommodation offered to ZRR under s.190 Housing Act 1996 was suitable and its duty was discharged when ZRR refused that accommodation.’
Nearly Legal, 11th August 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘This article explores the personalisation of homelessness services in the context of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. This ambitious piece of legislative reform introduced requirements on local housing authorities in England to assess an individual’s circumstances and develop personalised housing plans for people experiencing homelessness (s.3 HRA 2017, inserting s.189A Housing Act 1996). This article analyses research data (including 26 interviews) collected in 2018–2019 from ethnographic studies completed in two local authorities in the Midlands, across a period of four months in each site. Exploring the implementation of personalised housing plans in practice, this article investigates barriers to the application of the personalisation narrative, finding it operates as a tool of neoliberal governance rather than one of social justice. It asserts that if personalisation has the potential for more satisfactory and sustainable outcomes in preventing and relieving homelessness, then the inability for this narrative to manifest suggests the goal of the HRA 2017 in “reducing homelessness” is being hampered.’
Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 27th July 2024
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘Nearly 200 homeless people in London have been arrested in the past two years under a Georgian-era act that criminalises rough sleeping, new figures show.’
The Independent, 8th August 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The number of people released from prison into homelessness has risen 30 per cent in a year despite a major new scheme to house departing offenders, The Independent can reveal.’
The Independent, 4th August 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Outlines the main drivers of homelessness and summarises the UK Government’s approach to tackling homelessness in England, including stakeholder views and comment.’
House of Commons Library, 30th July 2024
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
‘An overview of the legal framework for statutory homelessness support in England and how local authorities are delivering these duties. The briefing also summarises official homelessness statistics.’
House of Commons Library, 30th July 2024
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
‘A father with a newborn baby and a mother with two children are among the asylum seekers made homeless by the Home Office after it wrongly withdrew their claims, it can be revealed.’
The Guardian, 20th July 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘An 89-year-old woman from the Windrush generation is facing homelessness because the Home Office says it cannot verify her identity.’
The Independent, 1st July 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Querino v Cambridge City Council (Rev1) (2024) EWCA Civ 314. This was a second appeal to the court of appeal from a s.204 appeal of a decision on suitability of accommodation offered to Mr Querino in discharge of homeless duty.’
Nearly Legal, 9th June 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2024