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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness in the debate on Temporary Accommodation: Out of Area Placements on 20 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Brighton and Hove City Council's adherence to the homelessness code of guidance; and what steps he is taking to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence for strengthening that guidance, including BHCC.

Legislation and statutory guidance are clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, place homeless households within their own area. If this is not possible, they should secure accommodation as close as possible to where the household was previously living. Section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 requires local authorities to notify the receiving authority whenever a household is placed outside their district, whether in temporary accommodation or through a final offer to end homelessness duties.

We have committed in the National Plan to End Homelessness strategy to taking action to improve practice, where out of area placements are used. We have also published new data on out of area placements to improve transparency and will use this to drive out the use of unsuitable placements.

The National Plan sets out that areas will be required to publish and keep updated a homelessness action plan, which will include how they will procure and allocate temporary accommodation, mitigate any disruption in support and services, and ensure that any placements are suitable – including those out of area.