New private sector accommodation policy approved but Northampton councillor says it risks 'revolving door of homelessness'

Under new changes approved by WNC’s cabinet on Tuesday June 9, the authority will now be able to refer people asking for homelessness assistance into private sector housing, with no limit on how far away they could be sent and no requirement for their consent.

WNC has said the move will reduce reliance on nightly-paid temporary accommodation and manage expectations around access to social housing by instead making households an offer of suitable accommodation in the private rented sector (PRS).

Councillor Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group, said the new policy shifts demand and absolves the council of meeting its main duty of housing through social housing.

She continued: “Compared with homeless people across the country, government figures show homeless people in West Northamptonshire are much more likely to be working people and more likely to be families, especially single parents, with children. They are almost all homeless because they have come out of private sector housing.

“This policy will put them back through the revolving door of private sector homelessness.”

Conservative leader Councillor Daniel Lister also raised concerns around the wording of the new policy, which would permit placements out of area with no set maximum distance. He also criticised the vague duty to seek to secure accommodation within West Northamptonshire “wherever reasonably practicable”, saying there is no definition of what that means.

Jane Carr, director of communities at WNC, confirmed that there would be no set maximum distance families could be sent, but refuted claims that “we would force someone miles away”, adding that all offers would be in consultation with the person they are dealing with and would provide an option to find permanent housing quicker.

Backing the proposals, cabinet member for housing, Councillor Charlie Hastie, told the cabinet meeting: “We continue to face significant pressure, high demand for social housing, rising homelessness presentations and ongoing reliance on temporary accommodation at significant cost.

“Put simply, we do not have enough social housing to meet demand and temporary accommodation is not a sustainable long-term solution financially, or for residents. [The PRS policy] is not a silver bullet, but it is a necessary part of the solution.

“The key to this is the spirit of it… it is trying to do the best for the residents and the communities in terms of finding solutions where there aren’t currently any solutions readily available right now.

“As demand will inevitably exceed the supply that we have, we will need to use the private sector.”

Under the policy, WNC says the suitability of each homelessness case would be assessed. It adds that the private rented sector scheme would not normally be considered appropriate where the household requires specialist or supported accommodation, and that consideration would be given to a range of factors.

All applicants have the right to request a statutory review of the suitability of any offer of accommodation, together with the right of appeal where applicable.