§ Lord Campbell of Allowayasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Birmingham University research report on local authorities' policy and practice on homelessness will be published.
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Caithness)Copies of the report have been placed in the Library today. It highlights the variation between authorities, both in how they interpret the legislation and in the efficiency and procedures they adopt in providing assistance to the homeless.
The research shows that people applying to local authorities for help find the system bewildering and often feel they are kept in the dark about what is happening. Some authorities take an excessive time to process applications, which sometimes become entangled in long drawn-out and complicated checking processes. Others deal with applicants quickly, thus reducing the time that families spend in temporary accommodation.
In some cases, staff have genuine difficulties in interpreting the legislation. This can lead to uneven treatment, so that households with similar problems may be dealt with in a completely different way in one part of the country compared with another.
There is also room for improvement in the allocation of permanent housing. Systems for allocating homes for homeless people are not always properly integrated into general allocation and waiting list systems, meaning that people in the greatest housing need sometimes have to wait longer in temporary accommodation. Nor is best use made of housing association properties, and there are problems in fitting in with their allocation systems.
The report identifies a number of key areas in which local authorities could improve their performance to provide a more consistent and efficient service to the homeless. The research findings provide a valuable input into our current review of the homelessness legislation.