Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lambeth Council’s overhaul of its Placement Policy means most homeless households could now be moved outside the borough, and in many cases beyond the southeast.
Due to the acute lack of affordable housing in the area,
“most households will have to move out of the borough and often out of the southeast,”
according to the new policy that Labour Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Danial Adilypour, is expected to endorse.
Additionally, it acknowledges that many families may
“lose proximity to support networks, schools, or employment.”
The variations create a new frame by combining the 2013 Placement Policy and the 2024 Discharge of Duty into the Private Rented Sector Policy.
According to the council, this will ameliorate legal robustness, boost openness, and give a clearer set of guidelines for how casing opinions for homeless homes are made.
The council notes that there’s a growing distinction between the force and demand for casing, with further people living in temporary casing and more severe fiscal strains.
Temporary housing benefits are still fixed at 2011 levels, therefore the municipality must make up for the growing difference between subsidies and actual rentals.
Furthermore, Lambeth is getting ready to reinstate its statutory homelessness review program. According to the report, the council is unable to fulfill its housing responsibilities and move applications forward because the present private sector model is expensive and prone to major delays.
The revised policy offers far more thorough instructions on how placements are made. Important modifications consist of:
- There are clear differences between private-rented-sector (PRS) offers, longer-term temporary accommodations, and interim accommodations.
- A more comprehensive framework that takes into account aspects including work, education (including SEND and exam years), caregiving obligations, medical needs, safety concerns, and affordability will replace the previous A–C banding system.
- a greater recognition that the primary limitation is now affordability, which means that the majority of assignments will unavoidably be outside of the borough and frequently outside of London.
- expanded guidelines on relocation assistance, review procedures, and application rights.
The Public Sector Equality Duty is covered in detail.
According to the report, the new policy will enable households transition more swiftly into longer-term, sustainable private rental housing and will provide greater consistency, justice, and transparency.
According to the assessment, Lambeth’s model “is consistent with best practice.”
Although growing usage of less expensive locations outside the borough may result in longer-term savings, the council claims the strategy has no immediate financial ramifications.
Legally speaking, the study outlines duties under the Localism Act of 2011, the Housing Act of 1996, and pertinent case law, most notably Nzolameso v. Westminster (2015), which mandates that councils provide an explanation for how they distribute out-of-borough housing.
The policy will take effect in December 2025, when the statutory review function is officially brought in-house.
How will the policy affect families with children in local schools?
Families with children in original seminaries may be dislocated far from their current communities, which can disrupt their education due to longer trip times and implicit changes in academy catchment areas.
The council prioritizes keeping families with children in crucial educational stages and those with specific care or medical requirements within Lambeth as much as possible, but this precedent means smaller coffers are available for other homes. Relocation outside the city can affect children’s social connections, support networks, and access to familiar original services, potentially impacting their good and academic progress.
The council intends to consider family, artistic, and educational requirements during placement opinions to minimize negative goods, but some position of dislocation is ineluctable as the policy reflects casing force limitations.