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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of accommodation provided by local authorities for survivors of domestic abuse; and what information his Department holds on the number of local authorities that provide accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse.

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, every Tier One local authority in England must assess local need for, and commission, support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation. To support delivery of the duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will provide £499m to local authorities over the next three years through the ringfenced Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant.

The Department collects information from all Tier One authorities England and monitors delivery through mandatory annual data returns and publishes this data. The most recent data on Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation: 2024 to 2025 can be found here.

Statutory guidance strongly encourages local authorities to give priority for social housing to victims and their families who have escaped abuse and are homeless, including those being accommodated in a refuge or temporary accommodation. We have also taken action to remove barriers for victims moving as a result of domestic abuse, who no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing.