The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee will hold
an evidence session on the implementation of the Homelessness
Reduction Act on Tuesday 23 April when they take evidence from
MP, Minister for Housing
and Homelessness, homelessness charities and local government.
The Homelessness Reduction Act was introduced to the House of
Commons by HCLG Committee member, MP. It became law in 2017 and
was implemented by the Government and local authorities in 2018.
It places new duties on local authorities in England to prevent
and relieve homelessness through improved intervention at an
earlier stage. The aim of the new legislation is to reduce the
number of household owed a homelessness duty, and lessen the use
of temporary accommodation. The Government has pledged to review
the effectiveness of the new measures and will publish a final
report in March 2020.
The session will investigate what impact the Act has had in the
time it has been in operation. It will examine how local
authorities have adapted the services they provide and the
additional costs this has placed on them. It will look at how
outcomes have changed for people at risk of becoming homeless or
who are in need of accommodation. The Committee will also
consider whether reforms could be made to improve the
legislation, both from the perspective of local authorities and
their service users.
Tuesday 23 April
Committee Room 6, House of Commons
Panel One: Charities (at 4.30pm)
John Sparkes, Chief Executive, Crisis
TBC, Shelter
Panel Two: Local Authorities (at 5.00pm)
TBC, Local Government Association
TBC, London Councils
Panel Three: Government (at 5.30pm)
MP, Minister for Housing
and Homelessness
TBC, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
