In a nutshell: What the election result means for local government
With the Conservative party securing its biggest majority since the 1980s, what does this mean for local government?
Council’s homelessness service suffers ‘serious weaknesses’
09/12/2019 A housing regulator has launched an inquiry to investigate ‘serious weaknesses’ in Glasgow City Council’s service for people who are homeless. |
Overdose victims in Glasgow saved 17 times in four months
04/12/2019 Glasgow Council has released figures showing that overdose victims were revived 17 times in four months at its night shelter. |
A child loses their home ‘every eight minutes’, charity says
03/12/2019 The number of children without a home in Britain is at the highest it has been in 12 years, a homelessness charity has revealed. |
Lib Dems unveil plans to tackle homelessness
28/11/2019 The Liberal Democrats have set out a raft of plans to end rough sleeping if they won the General Election. |
Collaboration is the key to tackling homelessness
27/11/2019 With the support of stakeholders, including forward-thinking local authorities, Beam’s innovative support model ‘swiftly removes every barrier faced by homeless people from entering the workforce’, says Seb Barker. |
New grants to support Housing First services
27/11/2019 Five housing providers have been awarded £450,000 to help support people facing chronic homelessness and multiple disadvantages. |
Launch of world’s first ‘gender-lens’ property fund
26/11/2019 The first gender-lens property fund to support women at risk of homelessness has been launched, aiming to raise £100m. |
Families forced into homelessness by ‘unaffordable’ housing
20/11/2019 A charity has warned families are being pushed into homelessness as figures reveal nine in 10 homes are unaffordable to families relying on housing benefit. |
Over 22,000 young people face homelessness this Christmas
18/11/2019 A charity has warned that tens of thousands of young people in England will be homeless or at risk of homelessness this Christmas. |
Temporary accommodation costing councils £1bn a year
15/11/2019 A dramatic increase in the amount of money councils spend on temporary accommodation for the homeless is 'shocking yet entirely preventable', according to leading campaigners. |
Charities use Tampon Tax to fund homelessness services
07/11/2019 Charities for homeless women have been awarded grants totalling £1.85m funded by money collected from VAT on the sale of sanitary products. |
Council makes improvements following death of rough sleeper
24/10/2019 Worcester City Council has implemented all ten recommendations made in an independent review into the death of a rough sleeper in the city. |
Nearly £2m awarded to projects improving health services for the homeless
22/10/2019 Nearly £2m has been awarded to six projects as part of an effort to help test models that improve access to health services for people sleeping rough. |
How accurate is the annual rough sleeping count?
21/10/2019 With some councils changing from estimating the number of homeless people on the streets to actually counting them, do recent figures genuinely reflect the success of the government's rough sleeping initiative? Neil Merrick investigates. |
Fear of homelessness keeping women in ‘dangerous situations’, report finds
17/10/2019 Almost half of women fleeing secure tenancies said that fear of becoming homeless had been a barrier to leaving their abuser, a new study has revealed. |
No homeless veterans
14/10/2019 Ed Tytherleigh calls on every single council to identify and refer veterans to appropriate services to ensure there are no homeless veterans. |
Homelessness crisis costs London councils £200m a year, report reveals
14/10/2019 The homelessness crisis and inadequate funding are costing local authorities in London an estimated £200m every year, the capital’s councils have warned. |
Cost of B&Bs for homeless people rockets
14/10/2019 Councils are being forced to spend more than £90m a year on placing homeless people in bed and breakfasts, council chiefs have warned. |
Trial launched into providing a stable home for ex-offenders
11/10/2019 A scheme to give prisoners a place to live when they are released is now being trialled in Leeds, London and Bristol, it has been announced. |
A targeted approach to tackle homelessness
10/10/2019 The Government's objective of ending homelessness by 2027 can be achieved through a more targeted and long-term approach, experts told Mark Whitehead. |
Creating a real change
10/10/2019 How can local authorities harness the power of alternative giving to provide more funds for tackling homelessness? Ketan Patel reports. |
Public call for more investment in housing benefit
10/10/2019 Three quarters of the public believe that housing benefit should increase in line with rents, according to a new poll published to mark World Homeless Day. |
Councils join pilot to find data-driven solutions to homelessness
03/10/2019 Three local authorities in Scotland, Wales and England have agreed to join a pilot which aims to help them improve their use of evidence and data in order to tackle homelessness. |
Glasgow faces legal battle over homeless services
03/10/2019 Shelter Scotland has launched a legal battle against Glasgow City Council over failures in its homelessness service. |
Mayor announces £90,000 to help homeless veterans
02/10/2019 Homeless veterans in Yorkshire are set to receive more support as the mayor of the Sheffield City Region announces £90,000 for a local homelessness charity. |
Number of homeless deaths see biggest increase on record
01/10/2019 The number of homeless people dying has increased by 22% in the past year, new figures have revealed today. |
Over 3,500 homeless veterans missing out on council support
24/09/2019 Thousands of homeless veterans could be losing out on support and housing available to them, figures reveal as campaign to help homeless veterans is launched. |
Casey calls for support to tackle homelessness
16/09/2019 Homelessness expert Dame Louise Casey has issued a call to arms to tackle the rising tide of homelessness around the world. |
A household became homeless ‘every four minutes’ last year, figures reveal
12/09/2019 The new Government figures on homelessness in England have revealed the impact of the housing crisis on young people and families. |
Domestic abuse survivors face homelessness, charity warns
12/09/2019 A charity has warned that women escaping domestic abuse face the risk of homelessness due to a lack of refuge bed spaces. |
Burnham announces £6m for homelessness scheme
09/09/2019 Mayor Andy Burnham has announced a £6m funding package for the second phase of Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night scheme. |
Spending Round 2019: Chancellor pledges £1.5bn 'down payment' for social care
04/09/2019 Councils will have access to £1.5bn of new funding for social care next year, the chancellor has announced. |
Office for Veterans’ Affairs given £5m funding boost
03/09/2019 The Government has announced a £5m fund boost to help support military veterans. |
Charity calls for investment in housing benefit to prevent homelessness
02/09/2019 Restoring the Local Housing Allowance benefit to cover the full cost of rents could stop more than 6,000 households being pushed into homelessness, according to campaigners. |
Children growing up in ‘B&Bs and shipping containers’, commissioner warns
21/08/2019 Thousands of children are growing up in unsuitable temporary accommodation, commissioner warns – a state of affairs council chiefs blame on a lack of funding. |
Council accused of acting ‘unlawfully’ over housing of homeless people
20/08/2019 Glasgow City Council has been threatened with legal action over its failure to provide homeless people with temporary accommodation. |
Nearly one third of homeless fatalities occur in temporary accommodation
14/08/2019 New research has revealed that a person affected by homelessness is dying every 19 hours with nearly a third of fatalities occurring in emergency or temporary accommodation. |
Khan announces 200 new homes for rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse
09/08/2019 Up to 200 new homes will be built in London to help former rough sleeps and victims of domestic abuse to leave hostels and refuges. |
‘Primary school’s worth’ of children face homelessness this summer
22/07/2019 Next PM told to make homelessness an 'urgent priority' as research finds hundreds of children face being placed into temporary accommodation this summer. |
Homeless people denied access to healthcare, study finds
17/07/2019 Homeless people are being denied access to basic healthcare, a new study has revealed. |
Benefit freeze ‘fuelling’ homelessness
08/07/2019 The freeze on housing benefits is driving up homelessness in London, the capital’s boroughs have warned. |
Council apologises for misinforming homeless teenager about their rights
05/07/2019 Essex County Council has apologised for turning away homeless children from care following a judicial review and has committed to better train its social workers. |
Think tank calls for creation of ‘investment state’
03/07/2019 A think tank has called for an end to austerity and the creation of an ‘investment state’ to help boost economic growth. |
Labour link funding cuts to homeless deaths
25/06/2019 Local government funding cuts are hitting areas with the highest levels of homeless deaths, according to a new Labour analysis. |
Manchester’s rough sleeping scheme secures NHS funding
20/06/2019 NHS in Greater Manchester has agreed to allocate £1.5m to help tackle rough sleeping and homelessness across the region. |
Whitehall blasted for trying to solve homelessness ‘on a shoestring’
20/06/2019 An assessment of the state of homelessness prevention has criticised Whitehall for trying to solve the homelessness crisis ‘on a shoestring’. |
Calls to scrap ‘draconian’ Vagrancy Act
19/06/2019 A new report has argued the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping and begging illegal in England and Wales, is ‘inhumane’ and should be scrapped. |
Councils urged to work with credit unions to prevent homelessness
17/06/2019 Councils could save millions of pounds by partnering with credit unions to offer interest free loans to families at risk of eviction, a new study has found. |
Nearly 2,000 abuse victims a year struggle to access ‘safe’ council housing
30/05/2019 Around 1,960 people fleeing domestic abuse each year are put at risk of homelessness because they are not eligible for ‘safe, secure housing’, study shows. |
Council refuses to accept ruling over treatment of homeless family
30/05/2019 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council has refused to accept an official ruling over its treatment of a homeless family facing domestic violence, according to LGO. |
Most councils warn benefit freeze will make more people homeless
15/05/2019 Nine out of 10 councils believe the housing benefit freeze will push more people into homelessness, a new survey has revealed. |
Stopping youth homelessness is 'patchy' says think tank
14/05/2019 A year after the Homelessness Reduction Act, progress on youth homelessness prevention is patchy across local authority areas, a think tank has revealed. |
Councils urged to apply for funding to improve health of rough sleepers
10/05/2019 Councils are being urged to bid for a share of £1.9m to help support rough sleepers living with a mental illness or substance abuse problem. |
Burnham urges Whitehall to declare ‘homelessness emergency’
08/05/2019 The Mayor of Greater Manchester has called on the Government to declare a ‘homelessness emergency’. |
Homeless shelter closes due to safety concerns
03/05/2019 A homeless centre in Shrewsbury has been temporarily closed down after safety concerns about the building were brought to Shropshire Council’s attention. |
Funding boost to help vulnerable rough sleepers
03/05/2019 More than 100 local authorities are to share £25m funding to help vulnerable rough sleepers to get specialist support. |
Council spending on single homeless people falls by £1bn
24/04/2019 Councils have called on the Government to provide more help to tackle homelessness, following figures showing a drop in the amount they spend dealing with it. |
Homelessness charity wins £3.6m lottery grant
23/04/2019 A charity which helps people battling with homelessness, long-term unemployment and addiction is set to expand thanks to a grant from the national lottery. |
City council drops £100 begging fines
18/04/2019 Southampton City Council has decided to remove its £100 fines for begging after finding the penalty had ‘little effect’. |
London council signs a £44.6m partnership to build new homes
17/04/2019 Croydon Council has signed up to a multi-million pound partnership with Legal & General in order to deliver over 160 new homes. |
Modular homes to be developed for homeless families in London
16/04/2019 Temporary modular homes are to be developed for homeless families in the capital following a £11m investment by mayor Sadiq Khan. |
Cash-strapped councils struggle to fulfil homelessness prevention duties
04/04/2019 Over two thirds of councils say they do not have sufficient funding to fulfil their statutory duty to prevent homelessness. |
Homelessness Reduction Act: One year on
25/03/2019 Groundbreaking legislation a year ago gave councils new powers to deal with homelessness, but the problem has not gone away, says Mark Whitehead. |
Government announces £46m to tackle rough sleeping
25/03/2019 The communities secretary has announced that £46m will be made available to help councils get people off the streets and into accommodation. |
Councils 'struggling to cope' with Homelessness Reduction Act
25/03/2019 A year after the Government took radical steps to reduce homelessness councils are warning they lack the resources to cope with a rising tide of people needing somewhere to live. |
Brokenshire announces £1m boost for homeless veterans
20/03/2019 The Government has announced that local areas will be receiving a boost of £1m to help ensure vulnerable veterans do not end up sleeping rough. |
Councils collaborate to address homelessness crisis
14/03/2019 Over a dozen London boroughs have joined the collaborative programme Capital Letters, which aims to support homeless households across the capital. |
Councils to share £19.5m to unlock private housing for most vulnerable
01/03/2019 Councils are to share nearly £20m to help people at risk of homelessness to move into the private rented sector. |
Poor, urban areas see majority of homeless deaths
26/02/2019 Welfare cuts and a lack of social housing are driving the homelessness crisis which has resulted in hundreds of deaths, particularly in poor, urban areas. |
Whitehall’s ‘hostile environment’ puts children in danger, charity says
19/02/2019 The Government’s commitment to creating a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants outweighs their commitment to children’s rights, a charity has warned. |
Rough-sleeping up 165% over the last decade, figures reveal
31/01/2019 High rents, a ‘faulty’ benefits system, and a lack of social housing has driven the dramatic rise in rough-sleeping since 2010, a homelessness charity has said. |
How can local authorities successfully and sustainably tackle homelessness in their area?
31/01/2019 Victoria King Lowe explores how local authorities can work with partners to attract additional funding and implement cost-effective solutions that can reduce rough sleeping and homelessness. |
Over 900 rough sleepers in Greater Manchester given ‘a bed every night’
21/01/2019 Greater Manchester’s scheme for helping rough sleepers has seen a ‘significant increase’ in the number of people it has helped in the last few months. |
Labour promises to repeal nineteenth-century Vagrancy Act
24/12/2018 The Labour Party has announced that they plan to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 which criminalises begging and rough sleeping. |
Deaths of homeless people up 24% in five years
21/12/2018 Local authority chiefs say they are ‘determined’ to prevent homelessness as figures reveal almost 600 homeless people died in England and Wales last year. |
Essex councils warn of problems with rehousing London’s homeless in the county
19/12/2018 Essex council leaders have written to the Mayor of London highlighting concerns over homeless people from the capital being rehoused in the county. |
End ‘unnecessary’ homelessness catch-22, watchdog says
18/12/2018 A watchdog has called for an end to the ‘unnecessary catch-22’ where homeless people are unable to access public services because they have no postal address. |
Brokenshire launches homelessness 'hubs'
18/12/2018 Communities secretary James Brokenshire has announced a network of 11 homelessness ‘hubs’ across England to tackle rough sleeping. |
Over 12,000 people sleeping rough this Christmas, charity warns
17/12/2018 The number of people sleeping rough or on buses and cars in England is more than double what Government statistics suggest, homelessness charity says. |
Increasing use of temporary accommodation ‘disruptive’, council chiefs say
14/12/2018 Local government leaders have angrily rejected the increasing use of temporary accommodation to house homeless families. |
Council chiefs call for ‘proper resourcing’ to end homelessness
10/12/2018 Investment announced by the Government to end homelessness will help, according to council leaders, but cuts in resources are making it more challenging. |
Supported housing system ‘isn’t working’, charity warns
05/12/2018 People living in supported housing are being discouraged from finding work because of fears they will not be able to afford their rent, report reveals. |
More than 130,000 children will be homeless at Christmas, charity warns
05/12/2018 The number of homeless children has increased by 59% in the last five years, meaning 131,000 will be without a permanent home this Christmas, Shelter has warned. |
Council pledges to provide winter-long beds for all rough sleepers
28/11/2018 Oxford City Council has pledged to provide all rough sleepers with beds for the whole of the winter from next year. |
Charity warns at least 320,000 people are homeless
22/11/2018 Numbers of homeless people have reached record levels because of the worsening housing crisis, according to campaigners. |
Councils face £10m shortfall to help homeless young people
12/11/2018 Councils will need an extra £10m to help young people facing homelessness under their new duties, research has revealed today. |
New homelessness duties impacting half of district councils
02/11/2018 More than half of district councils have seen an increase in the number of people asking for help since the introduction of new homelessness legislation. |
Local government funding to be slashed by a further £1.3bn
01/10/2018 Council budgets will be cut by a third next year, causing 'dramatic' reductions in services, local government leaders have warned. |
Healey unveils council tax levy on holiday homes
24/09/2018 Labour would double council tax on second homes to help families living in temporary accommodation, shadow housing secretary John Healey is expected to announce later today. |
Housing benefit freeze ‘fuelling' homelessness
29/08/2018 The housing benefit freeze has put private renting out of reach for most low-income tenants and risks forcing people from their homes, a housing standards group has warned. |
Over 100,000 children homeless over holidays, council chiefs warn
28/08/2018 The number of children who spent their school holiday homeless has risen to more than 123,000, council leaders have warned. |
Whitehall announces £100m plan to end rough sleeping by 2027
13/08/2018 Council leaders have welcomed the government's £100m strategy to end rough sleeping by 2027 but warned it is only the 'tip of the iceberg'. |
Council consults public on ‘aggressive’ begging legislation
24/07/2018 Wakefield Council has launched a consultation on proposals to use anti-social behaviour legislation to tackle ‘aggressive’ begging. |
Working homeless figures soar over five years
23/07/2018 The number of families described as ‘working homeless’ has soared over the past five years, housing charity Shelter has warned. |
Homelessness commission to provide ‘practical’ solutions for councils
06/07/2018 A local government sector think tank has launched a commission aimed at developing ‘strong, practical recommendations’ to help councils tackle homelessness. |
Figures show surge in number of homeless children and older people
28/06/2018 The number of families living in temporary accommodation has risen to 79,000, according to the latest government figures. |
Homelessness could be eradicated within 10 years, argues charity
11/06/2018 Homelessness in Britain could be ended within a decade if the right polices were introduced, according to a new report. |
£30m cash boost to tackle rough sleepers
09/06/2018 Communities secretary James Brokenshire has announced a £30m cash boost to tackle rough sleepers in the worst hit parts of the country. |
Benefit cuts forcing young people into homelessness, charity says
01/06/2018 Welfare restrictions are forcing young people into homelessness despite recent Government reforms, charity says. |
Welsh programme to help the elderly ‘lacks direction’, committee warns
21/05/2018 A £125m programme to help vulnerable, elderly and homeless people in Wales ‘creates uncertainty and lacks direction’, assembly members say. |
This issue of Local Government News explores what impact the increase to the Public Works Loan Board rate have on councils’ capital schemes and why adopting AI will not just improve customer service response times for councils.
This issue also finds out how local government pension funds are backing infrastructure projects and calls on local government to get better value from its technology spend.
