Housing

Whether council's subsequent compliance with the public sector equality duty, in pursuing possession proceedings against a tenant who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, cured an earlier breach

Taylor v Slough Borough Council [2020] EWHC 3520 (Ch)

High Court considers whether a council acted unlawfully in misunderstanding the effect of its own Housing Allocation Scheme so as to give preference to families with children over those with a disabled adult

Nur & Anor, R (On the Application Of) v Birmingham City Council [2020] EWHC 3526 (Admin)

Government announces £310 million for councils in England to help tackle homelessness in 2021/2022

Funding can be used to provide financial support for people to find a new home, work with landlords to prevent evictions, or to provide temporary accommodation, says MHCLG

Acquisition of a sufficient quantity of suitable properties is the ‘greatest challenge and ongoing risk’ to scaling up Housing First

MHCLG evaluation suggests that pilot areas should continue to take steps to engage with landlords from the private rented sector to help ensure a sufficient supply of housing and maximise the extent to which choice can be offered

Number of people living in temporary accommodation in England reaches 14 year high

Shelter highlights that more than a quarter of a million people have been homeless and temporarily housed during the pandemic

Law Commission launches consultation on reforming structure of devolved tribunals in Wales

Proposed reforms include replacement of separate tribunals with single unified first-tier tribunal, broken down into chambers catering for similar claims

Lord Chancellor provides Justice Committee with further information about stay on evictions that is due to expire on 11 January 2021

Letter to Committee Chair sets out process by which courts will determine whether one of permitted exemptions to stay applies

Court of Appeal considers whether a claimant caused statutory overcrowding by his own ‘deliberate act’ and should therefore be excluded from council’s highest priority banding for rehousing

Flores, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Southwark [2020] EWCA Civ 1697

High Court rules that government’s operation of asylum support scheme is unlawful and discriminatory

DMA & Ors, R (On the Application Of) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWHC 3416 (Admin)

Call for action to improve housing outcomes for women and children experiencing domestic abuse

Scottish Government working group highlights six areas which, acted on together, could significantly reduce domestic abuse-related homelessness

ONS reports highest annual number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales since records started in 2013

New statistics also reveal that one in seven of the deaths were suicides

MHCLG confirms funding allocations to more than 40 local authorities in England to support rough sleepers with drug and alcohol dependency

Government say that rough sleepers supported by the ‘Everyone In’ programme and those currently rough sleeping will be eligible for support

Modification of unsuitable temporary accommodation rules in Scotland to rectify drafting issues in Unsuitable Accommodation Order  

New statutory instrument amends errors and provides more clarity on the terms used in the Order to support local authorities in their duty to provide temporary accommodation

Ban on enforcement of eviction action in Wales until 11 January 2021

Scottish Government confirms that it will introduce licensing scheme for short-term lets from April 2021

However, Minister says that local authorities will have until April 2022 to establish a scheme, and existing hosts will have until April 2023 to apply for a license

Welsh Government announces it will take immediate action to amend Renting Homes Fees Act to prevent certain social sector tenancy charges from contravening the Act’s core provisions

Minister says that unintended problem has come to light for certain assured shorthold tenants with 'starter tenancies', 'market rent tenancies' or tenancies for supported accommodation

Ban on enforcement of eviction orders in Scotland from 11 December 2020 to 22 January 2021

New statutory instrument