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The Government has listened to the concerns of councils and is to overhaul the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System. This will help improve councils’ ability to uphold standards in the private rented sector.

"This is an important first step to addressing councils’ concerns about the quality, costs and oversight of some supported housing accommodation. We also look forward to seeing the detail of the pilot work."

Cllr David Renard, LGA housing spokesperson, responds to the announcement from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick that new homes delivered under permitted development rights will have to meet space standards.

“It’s vital we move towards tackling our collective ambition to end homelessness outright."

“We want to work closely with government on a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy, which sees councils supported with long-term funding to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, with the changes to welfare benefits introduced following the coronavirus outbreak maintained for as long as they are needed.”

"In particular, we are calling for a fair, accessible and sufficient mainstream benefits system providing financial stability for low income households, protecting those who are unable to work, reducing health inequalities and linking effectively with key local partners to improve job opportunities and socio-economic wellbeing."

“Councils have worked tirelessly to tackle homelessness and the extraordinary effort to get thousands of rough sleepers off the streets during the pandemic is testament to this."

“Rising homelessness demonstrates the need for the duties that the Homelessness Reduction Act imposed on councils are fully funded and resourced."

On average over the last three years, councils are having to house the equivalent of an extra secondary school’s worth of homeless children in temporary accommodation every month.

"Behind this rise in the number of homeless households are thousands of individual tragedies. Councils, on the front line of tackling homelessness, understand this, and are determined to do all they can to prevent people from losing their home in the first place."