Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that local authorities do not apply local connection tests to victims of domestic abuse.

The Government is committed to ensuring that, where appropriate, barriers preventing vulnerable groups in need from accessing social housing are removed. We will continue to work with stakeholders to support victims of domestic abuse to access social housing, including those who have joint tenancies.

Local housing authorities can adopt local connections tests to determine who qualifies for an allocation of social housing and manage demand within their area. Statutory social housing allocations guidance is clear that local authorities have the power to exempt victims of domestic abuse from any such test. This includes those living in a refuge or other forms of safe temporary accommodation in their district having escaped domestic abuse in another local authority area.

Guidance also encourages local authorities to give priority for social housing to victims and their families who have escaped abuse and are being accommodated in a refuge or temporary accommodation under the reasonable preference (priority) categories. Further, allocations guidance encourages local authorities to give additional preference (high priority) to people who are homeless and require urgent rehousing due to domestic abuse.