Clause 22 - Events which cause the duty to cease
Homes Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Don Foster (Bath, Liberal Democrat)
There will be an argument that my proposal could lead to an increase in the length of time that properties remain vacant. The average void time for local authority properties is currently six weeks. I believe that the amendment would not seriously alter that situation, about which many of us ought to be concerned and which should be addressed.
Amendment No. 72 would allow a minimum of three days for a homeless household to decide whether to accept or reject a final offer. I think that I have made a fairly clear argument. In many cases, a shorter period gives the applicant insufficient opportunity to consider all the factors that may influence his decision. Those factors may relate to the impact on working life or to the education of any children who might be involved. The applicant may need to find out whether the landlord will improve any defects in the property.
As the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) pointed out in an earlier intervention, it would be unfair for any local authority to allow an applicant only 24 hours to make a decision. The hon. Gentleman, who was obviously shocked that such behaviour could exist, asked me to provide him with examples of councils that operated in that way. He will be disappointed to hear that, sadly, there are a number of such authorities. For example, in London alone, the London boroughs of Newham, Lambeth and Waltham Forest operate in that way.
The London borough of Southwark also operates the procedure, but allows the wonderful extension of an additional 48 hours if the applicant requests it, thereby increasing the period to three days. In Southwark, however, three days is the maximum, not the minimum, as I propose.
I could not confirm the precise arrangements, but it is understood that the London borough of Camden usually allows 48 hours and that the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea operates a similarly tight schedule.
We can look elsewhere in the country. I have been advised that many authorities in Suffolk and Essex operate a similar procedure and that some give less than 24 hours. In some authorities, the applicant is required to turn up almost immediately. When he arrives, he finds a housing officer on the doorstep with the tenancy agreement form and is required to complete it there and then.
The practice of very short notification does exist, but I genuinely believe that it must be stopped. We need to have a minimum time of three days for the reasons that I have given. That would be fair and right, and would meet the Labour party's specific commitments in its manifesto, in the housing Green Paper and in subsequent Labour party documents. I hope therefore to receive a positive response from the Minister.
I am delighted to see in his place my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake). I was sorry to hear that the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) is not feeling well at the moment; we wish him a speedy recovery so that he can at least join us for the last day of deliberations when, we understand, that both of the Ministers will have at last got their act together as to the name of the constituencies of hon. Members.