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Government plans to exempt veterans, young care leavers and victims of domestic abuse from local connection test
The government has revealed plans for prioritising veterans, care leavers and domestic abuse survivors for social housing.
It came as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer made the promise during his speech at the Labour Party Conference yesterday.
The government has now written to councils to remind them they should prioritise veterans, care leavers and domestic abuse survivors for social housing.
In a joint release, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Ministry of Defence said “regulations will be brought forward in due course” and that the respective ministers will be hosting roundtables with the sector to explore the details of these changes.
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MHCLG said: “While not mandatory, the vast majority of councils have a local connection or residency test in place to determine who can qualify for social housing. These changes will mean that where such requirements are in place, veterans are not unfairly penalised.
“Other groups who can have difficulty demonstrating a local connection – care leavers and domestic abuse victims – will also be exempt from the rule.
“This delivers on the commitment in the response to the consultation on social housing allocations, published earlier this month, to support the most vulnerable to access social housing.”
It is estimated that around 3% of rough sleepers in England are veterans.
Additional detail is expected to be set out in the Autumn Statement at the end of October.
Lee Buss-Blair, director of operations and group veteran lead at Riverside, immediately welcomed the exemption and commitment to house all veterans in housing need.
He said: “We welcome this commitment from the prime minister and the fact that the government has rightly identified veterans as a group with specific and complex needs, including PTSD, physical disability, mental health challenges and substance misuse.
“Since we launched the government’s Op Fortitude pathway to provide a single, dedicated national pathway for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness we have received more than 2,300 referrals from veterans in need in just 13 months.
“We need to see and understand more detail about how the government is proposing to help meet the long-term housing and support needs of veterans as well as the immediate needs of the veterans currently experiencing homelessness.
“We welcome the PM’s [prime minister’s] announcement that veterans will be exempt from having to evidence a local connection, which will make a life-changing difference to so many veterans experiencing homelessness.”
Also at the Labour Party Conference this week, deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner used her opening speech to announce a new cladding remediation plan in the autumn. Although, details of the plan are yet to be published.
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