Dear Ms Barnes,
Thank you for your request asking for information that we hold as follows, please see our response below in blue:
Please provide the following information for the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 (if available):
- Homelessness Applications
- The total number of homelessness applications received
- The number of applications where the local authority:
- Accepted a duty under Section 189B (relief duty).
- Accepted a duty under Section 195 (prevention duty).
- Accepted a main housing duty under Section 193.
| Prevention duty accepted | Relief duty accepted | Main duty accepted | Total number of applications | |
| 2021/22 | 893 | 1261 | 307 | 3577 |
| 2022/23 | 1114 | 1662 | 510 | 4337 |
| 2023/24 | 1485 | 2299 | 803 | 5748 |
- Timeliness and Decision-Making
- The average and median time taken to issue a decision on homelessness applications
- The number of cases where the decision exceeded the 56-day timeframe
- The number of reviews requested under Section 202 and the average time taken to complete them.
| Avg time (days) | Median time (days) | Number of cases exceeding 56 days | Number of reviews requested | Avg time to complete reviews (days) | |
| 2021/22 | 129 | 61 | 1868 | 244 | 102 |
| 2022/23 | 162 | 85 | 2592 | 204 | 81 |
| 2023/24 | 154 | 106 | 3635 | 307 | 174 |
- Temporary Accommodation
- The number of households placed in temporary accommodation, broken down by:
- Household type (e.g. single adult, family with children).
- Type of accommodation used (e.g. B&B, nightly paid, self-contained).
- Length of stay in temporary accommodation
| Singles in TA | Families with children in TA | Families without children in TA | TA shared facilities | TA self-contained | Avg length of stay (days) | Families in b&b over 6 weeks | |
| 2021/22 | 681 | 1059 | 304 | 91 | 1953 | 1563 | 1 |
| 2022/23 | 761 | 1060 | 309 | 171 | 1959 | 1521 | 4 |
| 2023/24 | 844 | 1182 | 294 | 175 | 2145 | 1346 | 15 |
- The number of households placed in B&B accommodation for longer than 6 weeks, and the reasons why.
An increase in TA placements as a result of an increase in demand from residents who are homeless and other housing pressures in the area.
- Out-of-Borough Placements
- The number of households placed in temporary accommodation outside of the local authority area
- The average distance from the original place of residence We do not hold this data.
- The number of placements involving children and/or vulnerable adults.
| Households outside Barnet | Households with children | |
| 2021/22 | 702 | 427 |
| 2022/23 | 819 | 470 |
| 2023/24 | 1127 | 641 |
- Compliance and Monitoring
- Details of any internal or external audits or reviews carried out regarding homelessness decision-making and/or temporary accommodation provision during this period
An internal audit of temporary accommodation placement took place in 2024, a copy of the report is attached.
- Any recorded breaches or non-compliance with statutory timeframes, and the corrective actions taken –
No breaches or non-compliance have been recorded.
Your Rights
If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review by emailing Talk2Us@barnethomes.org and marking it as an appeal for the attention of the Data Controller. There is no charge for making an appeal.
After this, if you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner:
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Website: www.ico.org.uk
Kind regards,
Carly Williamson
Complaints and Information Manager