Homeless people in a London borough face being moved outside their local area into private rented accommodation, rather than being placed on a waiting list for council housing.

According to a leaked document obtained by the Guardian, Conservative-controlled Hammersmith & Fulham council is considering a plan to break the previous link between a homelessness application and a social housing tenancy. This change is permitted under the Localism Act 2012 introduced by the government. The council would instead meet its statutory obligations on homelessness by finding private rented accommodation, which, the leaked document says, could be within the borough but ‘could equally’ be outside it.

Source: Report in the Guardian, 2 May 2012

Links: Guardian report | Leaked report