Member

Government regulations last year mean that victims of domestic abuse moving as a result of that abuse no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing. We also have statutory guidance in place for local housing authorities to improve access to social housing for victims of domestic abuse. This guidance has not been substantially updated in nearly a decade so I am sorry to say that it does not cover the treatment of debt incurred as a result of domestic abuse. We want to put that right. In the national plan to end homelessness we committed to address the barriers, such as debt, faced by survivors of domestic abuse, as part of our update to statutory guidance on social housing allocations. These can be very sensitive cases and this amendment, as tabled, would introduce a rigid statutory rule in an area that is inherently complex and case-specific. We also need to be mindful of unintended consequences that the blunt tool of primary legislation may cause.