Regulation of the private rented sector (PRS) is one of several measures being called for to help end homelessness in England.
Homeless Link, the umbrella body for homelessness charities, has mapped out steps that it believes need to be taken to prevent and tackle homelessness in the face of service cuts and the Government's forthcoming welfare changes.
“The very high housing costs in Camden and across London mean that low-income households will find it increasingly hard to find affordable accommodation if they are not in social housing.
“Sadly however, the scale of the cuts, high private rental costs and lack of available housing in Camden will mean that more people will soon have to consider moving from the borough and in some cases London entirely.”
Labour’s Stephen Timms, speaking on Radio 4 yesterday, criticised the controversial policy, under which benefit claimants in social housing of working age with spare rooms will have their benefit cut from 1 April.
Mr Timms said: ‘We have argued for the last two years that it would be fine to apply the penalty where people have refused to take smaller accommodation, but to penalise people when there’s nowhere smaller to move to is perverse.’
A London council is considering shipping tenants that'll be hit by the coming benefit cuts as far away as Leicester and Birmingham.
Camden Council's Tory leader, Andrew Mennear, has backed the plan, saying that "London's not everything. There is a life outside of London".
A flagship Conservative council is housing families in hotels costing more than £1,000 a week because it cannot find alternative accommodation.
Figures released by Westminster Council show it has used six hotels where a room for a week costs more than £1,000, with the most expensive, the Royal Eagle Hotel, costing £1,540.
The number of people rough sleeping has gone up by 31 per cent in the past two years, according to government statistics released today.
Communities and Local Government department figures show the number of rough sleepers in a single-night snapshot in autumn 2012 was 2,309 up from 1,768 in autumn 2010. This year’s figure was a rise of 6 per cent from autumn 2011’s count of 2,181.
The four boroughs forced to trial a £500-a-week benefit cap will spend their whole share of an emergency hardship fund within five months unless they move people to cheaper areas or obtain more funding.
Research by London Councils for Inside Housing reveals the four London boroughs unexpectedly having to trial the government’s £26,000-a-year benefit cap could spend their share of the pot before their peers are affected at all.
A million people living in social housing could struggle with their rent and end up in debt as a result of the Government’s welfare shakeup, the National Housing Federation (NHF) has warned.
A NHF-commissioned report by Ipsos MORI and the University of Cambridge found that most housing associations fear a significant rise in rent arrears and believe their residents have little or no idea how the welfare changes - which are being rolled-out later this year – will affect them.
Barnsley is heading for a benefits crisis which could see thousands fall into debt and rent arrears across the borough reach record levels.
That grim warning comes from Jackie Walker, senior official at the Barnsley branch of the South Yorkshire Credit Union.
Labour leader MP Ed Miliband has pledged to protect the rights of private renters as part of his party's 'One Nation' philosophy.
In a speech to the Fabian Society, Mr Miliband highlighted the potentially divisive rift between private renters and homeowners.