District Councils' Network

DCN response to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government social housing allocations consultation. DCN is pleased that the Government has listened to evidence submitted by ourselves and others and decided not to proceed with proposed reforms to social housing allocations. Responding to this afternoon’s announcement, Hannah Dalton, DCN Housing Spokesperson, said: "These changes could have led to increased homelessness, greater use of temporary accommodation, higher costs for councils, and undermined local decision-making. "Councils are best placed to understand and respond to the unique housing needs of their communities. "While we welcome this decision, it's crucial that the Government now focuses on the delivery of impactful measures to reduce the number of families experiencing homelessness and living in temporary accommodation. We want to work with the Government to develop and implement effective solutions to these pressing issues."

📢 The District Councils' Network is delighted to be hosting a webinar on 'Engaging communities in the #planning process' on 19th September at 1pm-2.30pm 📝 Sign up and register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/dXm-asG4 Speakers include: ◼ Anna Rose, Head of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) ◼ Adam Sheppard, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham ◼ Hugh. Ellis, Director of Policy at Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) ◼ Oliver Deed, Managing Director of ECF ◼ Victoria Hills MRTPI FICE FRSA MCMI CMgr, Chief Executive of Royal Town Planning Institute

📢 Calling all #district #DCN #localgovernment officers. The Local Government Challenge is a brilliant development opportunity by the Local Government Association. Please do share this with your wider networks and colleagues 👇

Have you spotted us in the news the last few days talking about the soaring costs of flood alleviation on council budgets. Read more about the coverage at the links below: https://lnkd.in/ek8SQsF8 https://lnkd.in/ey4ZPZyf https://lnkd.in/gAmQ2MmG

Last week's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government homelessness figures revealed that a record number of children and families are stuck in temporary accommodation. The National Housing Federation supports the County Councils Network Local Government Association and District Councils' Network in their calls for a long-term investment to deliver the #SocialHomes that this country desperately needs, to help end #Homelessness. https://lnkd.in/eYkrWfZm

📻 The District Councils' Network featured on BBC Radio 4's 6 o'clock news 🎙️   Our recent letter to the Deputy Prime Minister regarding the urgent issue of temporary accommodation pressures was highlighted on BBC Radio 4's 6 o'clock news yesterday.    The letter, signed by DCN, the Local Government Association, Crisis, County Councils Network and East of England Local Government Association, outlines the alarming increase in households in temporary accommodation and calls for decisive action to address the homelessness crisis.    Jon McGinty, Chief Executive of Gloucester City Council and member of the DCN's Chief Executive Group, provided valuable insights on the local pressures faced by councils across the country.    We've uploaded a clip of the interview, which you can listen to below. 🎧👇 It underscores the critical nature of this issue and the need for a collaborative approach to tackle the housing and homelessness challenges our communities face.   The DCN remains committed to working with the government and our partners to implement effective solutions to this national emergency. 

Government homelessness action demanded 🚨 Leaders from across local government have demanded that central government takes action to end the homelessness crisis. This comes as new data from the MHCLG outlines a record number of households living in temporary accommodation. Read more 👇👇 https://lnkd.in/e8Uhnkmk Local Government Association District Councils' Network County Councils Network Crisis Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Hannah Dalton #Homelessness #Housing #TemporaryAccommodation #Crisis #LocalGovernment

Listen🔊to the latest News Bulletin from Public Sector Executive here. 🚨 Sector demands action on homelessness 🚨 Campaign to turn tide on serious violence For more details on all our stories check out 📷👇https://lnkd.in/eVuv68Qe Local Government Association District Councils' Network County Councils Network Crisis Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government #Homelessness #Housing #TemporaryAccommodation #Crisis #LocalGovernment West Yorkshire Combined Authority Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire #Crime #KnifeCrime #WestYorkshire #Policing #Mayor

We've joined with the District Councils' Network and the Local Government Association in calling for government action on housing. Latest figures show that CCN's unitary members are housing an increasing amount of people in temporary accommodation compared to last year:

Today's figures showing record use of temporary accommodation are disgraceful. There were 117,000 households in temporary accommodation in March - an increase of 12% in a year. The rise in households with children in temporary accommodation is even larger - 15% in a year. We want action. District Councils' Network has organised a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urging policy measures to ease the crisis. Our letter has been signed by Crisis, Local Government Association, County Councils Network and East of England Local Government Association. The letter says: "The human impact of this crisis is enormous. Families in temporary accommodation face huge challenges including disrupted education, health issues, and difficulty holding down a job. Homelessness undermines people’s lives and life chances. "The financial impact on councils is unsustainable. Many district councils now spend between 20% and 50% of their total net budget on temporary accommodation. Total district council spending on temporary accommodation has skyrocketed by more than 200% in just five years." Together we can bring about change. You can read more about what we're seeking here: https://lnkd.in/egHT_kNQ