Grenfell Tower – legal aid for victims
On 7 July 2017 the Law Society published a briefing document comprising: guidance from the Legal Aid Agency for providers who wish to access legal aid for victims of major incidents; a Law Society update regarding the impact of lump sum payments from government on legal aid eligibility; and information regarding pro bono advice and pro bono cost orders. For the briefing,
click here
Grenfell Tower – handling immigration cases
On 5 July 2017 the Home Office published guidance telling UK Visas & Immigration and Immigration Enforcement staff how to consider the immigration status of those directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire who need to regularise their immigration status in the UK or obtain a change in the conditions of their existing leave, or whose existing leave to remain is due to expire within 12 months of the publication of this policy. This policy is intended to assist those directly affected by the fire. For the guidance,
click here
Grenfell Tower – Public Inquiry consultation
On 5 July 2017 the Grenfell Tower Inquiry invited those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and others with an interest to help shape the work of the Public Inquiry into the fire. The Chair of the Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, launched a consultation into its terms of reference which will set out what the Inquiry will cover. Anyone can submit written views online or in writing. For the consultation document in a variety of languages,
click here For the Inquiry website,
click here
Grenfell Tower – support for people affected
On 7 July 2017 the DCLG and Home Office updated the webpage containing advice on where to seek urgent assistance and information, including the official helplines for this incident. It also provides guidance on support services available for victims and all those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. For the webpage,
click here
Kensington and Chelsea – appointment of Independent Recovery Taskforce
On 5 July 2017 the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced in a written statement to Parliament that he had appointed an independent Recovery Taskforce with the experience and skills to advise the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) on longer term recovery needs. The remit of the Recovery Taskforce is to provide advice and practical and strategic support to RBKC. The Taskforce will consider all aspects of the recovery operation but will have a special focus on housing, regeneration and community engagement. For the written statement,
click here
Combustibility tests on cladding and insulation
On 6 July 2017 the independent expert panel on safety advised further testing as the next step to be conducted in helping landlords to ensure the safety of their buildings. These large scale tests will help establish how different types of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels in combination with different types of insulation behave in a fire. The tests will be undertaken by the Building Research Establishment and will not require any new samples from buildings. Landlords will be expected to take their own professional advice on what is required for their buildings in the usual way. For further details,
click here
Fire safety in tower blocks – Brent
On 10 July 2017 Brent Council announced that it had earmarked £10 million for a package of enhanced fire safety measures for high rise blocks following a vote of Brent’s full Council. A range of fire safety improvements, such as sprinklers, smoke detectors and fire alarms, is set to be rolled out in high-rise tower blocks across the borough. For more details,
click here
Homelessness – England
On 7 July 2017 the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper providing statistics on statutory homelessness in England and explaining local authorities' duties to assist homeless households. The paper includes an overview of, and comment on, Government policy in this area. To access the briefing,
click here
Refugees and homelessness
On 9 July 2017 Refugee Action published new research showing that a failure by the Home Office to follow its own guidance for supporting those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom is making vulnerable people homeless and leaving them unable to feed their families. The report – based on analysis of more than 300 cases – shows that some of the most vulnerable people seeking protection are being wrongly denied assistance or are suffering long delays to get the support they are entitled to. To read the report,
click here To read Refugee Action’s press release,
click here
Rural homelessness
On 10 July 2017 the Institute of Public Policy Research published a report –
Right To Home? Rethinking homelessness in rural communities – stating that many households in rural areas are threatened with or experience homelessness. The report says that: in 2015/16, 6,270 households were accepted as homeless in England’s 91 mainly and largely rural local authorities (LAs); in 16 of these predominantly rural LAs, at least two in every 1,000 households were accepted as homeless; in 2015/16, mainly and largely rural areas in England reported making 12,977 decisions on homelessness approaches (11 per cent of local authority decisions, nationally); from 2010 to 2016, mainly rural local authorities recorded a rise from 191 to 252 rough sleepers (an increase of 32 per cent – in largely rural areas there has been a leap of 52 per cent); the peculiarities of rural areas can make delivering services to prevent and relieve homelessness particularly difficult. To read the report,
click here To read the executive summary,
click here For coverage in
Huffington Post,
click here
Housing homeless families locally
On 9 July 2017
The Observer reported the results of a Freedom of Information request which revealed that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
had the worst record in England for finding local homes for its homeless families before the Grenfell Tower disaster. The response covers 273 of England’s 326 councils, including 29 of London’s 33 boroughs. Newham has the highest number of people in short-term housing in the country: 4,404 households. For the report,
click here
Households in temporary accommodation – England
On 7 July 2017 the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper providing background information on the increase in the number of homeless households placed in temporary accommodation by English local authorities and outlining various initiatives and issues associated with the increased use of temporary accommodation. To access the briefing,
click here
Universal Credit
On 6 July Citizens Advice published a report stating that Universal Credit, which is currently being rolled out across the country, is already failing many people. It is forcing people into debt and leaving them without the means to make ends meet. Citizens Advice says that if the problems with Universal Credit are not fixed, 7 million households will face serious financial risk. To read the report
click here To read the summary,
click here
Right to Buy for housing association tenants – England
On 6 July 2017 the House of Commons Library published a briefing which explains proposals to extend the Right to Buy to assured tenants of housing associations on a voluntary basis. No implementation date for full roll-out has been announced. A large regional pilot scheme was announced for 2017/18. To read the briefing,
click here
Private renting – energy performance
On 7 July 2017 the Residential Landlords Association reported that the Government had confirmed at a meeting at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that changes to rules preventing landlords from renting out inefficient homes will be introduced in April 2018. On introduction, all privately let homes must have a minimum energy performance certificate rating of E. The rule applies to new tenancies and renewals only, but will be extended to existing tenancies by 2020. For more details,
click here
Tenancy deposit schemes
On 5 July 2017 the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper explaining the duty on private landlords to protect tenants’ deposits and summarising how the schemes operate. To read the briefing,
click here
Affordable housing – Scotland
On 7 July 2017 the Scottish Government announced that the number of affordable homes being approved is at its highest level since the 1980s. It said that it has committed more than £1.75 billion over the next three years to enable local authorities to plan and deliver the affordable housing needed in their communities, delivering the “ambitious” target of at least 50,000 affordable homes by 2021. There has been a 29% increase in approvals this year compared with last, with 10,276 affordable homes being approved in 2016-17. For the announcement,
click here