Homelessness in Lancashire
2006/2007

This research monitor contains information on the number of households accepted as homeless in Lancashire between April 2006 and March 2007. The figures have been downloaded from the Department of Communities and Local Government website Department of Communities and Local Government website. The housing statistics section of the website DCLG Housing Statistics website contains a Live Tables option that gives access to the homelessness figures.

The Office for National Statistics Neighbourhood website has previously been used to access the homelessness figures but, at the time writing, it only had the results up to 2004/05.

The site contains a substantial amount of information on housing in general including the homelessness results that are published on a yearly basis down to the local authority level.

The numbers of households accepted as homeless for 2006/07 are available for all but 19 of the 354 local authorities across England. Unfortunately, Chorley and Wyre districts are two of the authorities for which figures are not available.

The information is used in the development of housing needs indices, responses to parliamentary questions and for policy development on housing issues. Local authorities also need the data for either management purposes or to assist the continued development of housing strategies.

Numbers of Households Accepted as Homeless

For England as a whole, the local authority with the highest number of households accepted as homeless in the year to March 2007 was Birmingham with 2,496, well in excess of Leeds with the second highest figure of 1,707. Sheffield was in third place (1,053), whilst the North West authorities of Salford and Wigan were ranked in fourth and fifth place respectively with figures of 1,053 and 1,035.

At the other extreme, Guildford in Surrey had no households accepted as homeless, whilst Torridge in north Devon had just two cases.

Table 1 reveals that in the Lancashire NUTS-2 area, Lancaster district easily recorded the largest homelessness figure with a total of 241 and a ranking of 84. South Ribble was in second place with 151 homeless households, whilst four other authorities also had figures in excess of 100. At the other end of the spectrum, Hyndburn recorded just 17 homeless households and had a ranking of 323.

Table 1 includes rates of homelessness by percent of total households on the Housing Register. This gives an indication of how each local authority may be able to cope with placing the homeless in rented housing accommodation. In Lancashire, only Lancaster district (4.2%) recorded a rate in excess of the England average of 3.5%.

Fewer Households Accepted as Homeless

The table clearly indicates the large-scale reductions that have occurred in officially designated homeless numbers at the national, northwest levels and in most Lancashire local authority areas. The recent downward trend in the number of households accepted as homeless started in early 2004. The Department for Communities and Local Government Homelessness website details some of the initiatives that are in place to reduce levels of homelessness.

The dramatic reductions in the homelessness figures need to be set in the context that for many households, the cost of buying a house is prohibitive, whilst for others the cost of paying to live in a property is a major challenge. The complementary House Price Research Monitor, includes local house price information and also details mortgage possessions proceedings figures and data on vacant properties. In addition, the monitor that considers Housing and Council Tax Benefit levels emphasises the importance of these benefits to may Lancashire residents.

Many households have benefited enormously from rising living standards and property prices. The economy continues to grow, but there will always be some in society who lose their job, face the break-up of a relationship or other personal factors that lead to them becoming homeless.