A new bill aimed at extending the timeframe for local authorities to prevent homelessness has gained support in the Commons. Conservative MP Bob Blackman’s Homelessness Prevention Bill seeks to reduce the risk of vulnerable individuals being forced to sleep rough by increasing the prevention duty period from 56 days to six months.
Under current legislation, councils are required to take reasonable steps to secure accommodation for those at risk of homelessness within eight weeks. The proposed bill not only extends this period but also introduces a statutory requirement for councils to maintain a record of their actions to prevent homelessness.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Blackman, MP for Harrow East, expressed his satisfaction with the bill’s progress, stating:
“I am delighted that the House has supported this bill’s second reading. There’s still a long way to go, but this is a vital step towards ensuring that people in highly vulnerable positions receive the help they need before they are forced onto the streets.”
Building on the homelessness reduction act
Mr Blackman’s proposed legislation builds upon the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, which he previously introduced to Parliament. The 2017 Act placed a duty on councils to intervene earlier to prevent people from becoming homeless.
Reflecting on its success, Mr Blackman said:
“Since its introduction, 1.4 million people have been assisted under the Act. The next step is ensuring that local authorities are legally obliged to do more to prevent individuals from ever reaching the crisis point of homelessness.”
The bill’s ultimate aim is to reduce rough sleeping, which remains a pressing issue across the UK. Official figures have indicated a steady rise in homelessness, with charities warning that local councils require more time and resources to intervene effectively.
Concerns over children placed in care far from home
While the Homelessness Prevention Bill moved forward, another bill aimed at safeguarding vulnerable children in care failed to gain government backing.
Labour MP Jake Richards introduced the Looked After Children (Distance Placements) Bill, which sought to ensure that children entering the care system are only placed outside their local areas in exceptional circumstances. However, due to a lack of time, the bill was not progressed.
The proposed legislation would have required councils to:
- Collect more detailed data on children placed outside their home areas.
- Develop plans to assess and improve local capacity for looking after children.
- Ensure that distance placements are not used as a default due to local shortages.
Mr Richards, MP for Rother Valley, highlighted the distress caused by placing children miles away from their families, schools, and communities.
“Nearly 10% of children in care in England live more than 50 miles from home, and 4% are placed over 100 miles away—some even across borders in Wales or Scotland,” he said.
He added that these placements often occur not because they are in the child’s best interest, but due to a lack of local provision and poor planning.
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“This bill does not ban distant placements, but it firmly states that distance should never be the default. It should never be driven by gaps in provision, lack of planning, or market dysfunction.”
Government response and challenges
Responding on behalf of the government, Education Minister Janet Daby acknowledged that the system needs improvement but stated that local councils already have a duty to collect data on out-of-area placements.
She noted that on 31st March 2024,
- Over two-thirds of children in care were placed less than 20 miles from home, but
- 45% of children were placed outside their local authority boundary.
“This is not good enough,” she admitted, “but in some cases, a placement further away is in the child’s best interest.”
The government’s decision not to support the bill has drawn criticism from children’s charities, who argue that urgent reforms are needed to address the systemic failures in the care system.
Next steps
While the Homelessness Prevention Bill continues through Parliament, concerns remain over child placements in care, and campaigners are calling for greater investment in local housing and children’s services.
Both issues highlight the challenges facing vulnerable people in Britain, as policymakers seek to balance limited resources with growing demand for social support.
