City council welcome new homelessness Bill

Councils will have a duty to prevent homelessness if a new law passes on Friday

The government is expected to support a Bill on Friday that will place a statutory duty on councils to help prevent people from becoming homeless if they are 56 days away from losing their home.

Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has announced the intended support.

Cllr Kevin Price, Cambridge’s executive councillor for housing, said: “In Cambridge the council has a good record of early intervention to help prevent individuals and households becoming homeless. If this Bill becomes law, it will strengthen our hand in providing services to those threatened with homelessness or who are homeless. I hope that MPs from all parties will get behind this Bill on Friday.

“Preventing homelessness not only saves lives but helps rebuild them at a time of crisis for individuals and families.

“However, councils must also be properly funded for any new duty and councils alone cannot tackle rising homelessness, especially in Cambridge, where the ending of a private sector tenancy and the unaffordability of private sector rents are increasingly the commonest cause of homelessness.”