, MP for Harrow East, has
welcomed action being taken by the Department for Communities and
Local Government to prepare for the implementation of his
Homelessness Reduction Act, including a consultation on updating
the Homelessness Code of Guidance and a further injection of
funding for local authorities to make the transition.
This legislation is the first major change to homelessness
legislation in nearly 40 years and received Royal Assent in April
2017. Now the Government has announced that it is providing an
additional £11.7 million in new burdens funding to local
authorities, taking the total amount of new burdens funding from
over £61 million to £72.7 million.
Commenting on this announcement, MP said, “My Homelessness
Reduction Act was the longest and most expensive Private Member’s
Bill to successfully become legislation, and it is a testament to
the commitment of this Government to help the homeless that it
was supported then and is now receiving extra funding to ensure a
smooth transition.
“When working on the bill in its early phases, it was very clear
that the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local
Authorities was going to require revision, as it is both outdated
and too complex, so I very much welcome the consultation that has
opened and the work being done by , the Minister for Local
Government, and his team to streamline the document.”
has also welcomed the further
announcement that the Government will also be providing local
authorities with an equally distributed share of £3 million to
support them in upgrading their data systems to monitor the
impact of the Homelessness Reduction Act.
Since 1997, only 24% (87) of the hundreds of ballot bills put to
Parliament have ever gained Royal Assent, compared to 90% of all
Government bills, making ’s Homelessness Reduction Act
even more of a triumph against the odds.
The consultation on the revised Code of Guidance is available at
the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/homelessnesscode
