Mark Prichard

English councils’ temporary accommodation bill rises to £2.8bn Councils in England spent a record £2.8bn on temporary accommodation last year, with the annual bill rising by 25% as the homelessness crisis deepens.

Can't think of many better illustrations of how badly we have botched housing policy than the fact that our bill for housing homeless families (£2.8bn pa) is now higher than the money we spend each year on new affordable housing (£2.3bn)

www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/english...

Text of Welsh homelessness legislation if amended | Mark Prichard Text of Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (homelessness), as it will read if the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill is enacted.

A guide showing how the text of the Welsh homelessness legislation will be amended by the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill (if it becomes law) www.markprichard.co.uk/news/2025/ho...

HM Government needs to pull its finger out and ensure that *all* legislation on legislation.gov.uk is available in its amended form. Essential for the rule of law.

Shared ownership: 'It was sold as a dream but became a nightmare' Londoners, including couple Chris and Diana, share their experiences of shared ownership.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I find it shocking that so many social housing professionals continue to promote shared ownership. It's housing sure, but is it 'social'?

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations… - Landmark Chambers Landmark Chambers is a leading barristers’ chambers based in London, UK. Our team of experienced barristers provides specialist advice and representation…

The abolition of priority need and the concept of intentional homelessness! Come and join us as we talk through these major changes to homelessness law in Wales.

www.landmarkchambers.co.uk/events/homel...

Is accommodation “available” for a homeless applicant if it’s only for him, with his children accommodated elsewhere in the short term?

Plenary 29/04/2025 - Welsh Parliament The Welsh Parliament is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people.

New homelessness, allocations and building safety laws for Wales. Details are light but the announcement is here: record.senedd.wales/Plenary/1507...

nwcl.cymru/join-us/ Exciting opportunities to make a difference. Vacancies at North Wales Community Law.

Good choice!

Every 'exempt hostel' in Birmingham - see how your area fares New figures show that hundreds more family homes in the city have been converted into 'exempt hostels' housing homeless people from around the country. This is where the hotspots are.

The scourge of poorly regulated 'supported' exempt accommodation. Birmingham's poorest areas have been particularly affected www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

Music from phones on public transport normally makes me quietly seethe. I make an exception though for Incy Wincy Spider on the 55 in Hackney. Especially when the child has such a look of existential confusion when she clocks me.

I certainly think 21 days is a short period in the context of losing a roof over your head. As I say my experience says otherwise on the care point. A common outcome is the applicant obtaining private sector accommodation perhaps with CS assistance, which ironically will likely be further away.

Homelessness should not (and will not in my experience) be used as a basis for putting a dependant child into care. In any legal system there must be a deadline for challenging a decision.

New judgment: R (RZH) v LB Sutton explores the complex legal routes for challenging local authority decisions on disability grounds.

Disability, dual claims & housing law collide in this important case from @cjr1968.bsky.social.

➡️ cornerstonebarristers.com/disability-d...

#HousingLaw

The applicant's s202 homelessness review request was only 5 days late. However he received repeated reminders of the need to comply with the deadline. The court held that the applicant could not have been unaware of his review right and the period for requesting it www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...

Anyone got any thoughts on good firms for seeking a psychiatric evaluation? I've got a council housing manager who wants to instruct a specialist to inform a s202 homelessness review.

Ok legal beagles, here's a question for you. When is it appropriate to use "No 2" in a case citation, to distinguish between judgments involving the same parties? Eg is it limited to judgments in the same year? Same cause of action? etc. Can't find the answer in OSCOLA and Google has failed me.

Thanks. Enjoy Africa.