Westminster wants local connection

Homeless people should have to prove a strong connection with a local area before being entitled to housing there, a commission has concluded.

The Westminster Housing Commission, set up to consider how the central London borough can tackle its housing crisis, said the move would help the many overcrowded families already living in Westminster and reduce demand from people moving there.

The commission, chaired by Joseph Rowntree Foundation director Lord Richard Best, suggested homeless people should have to prove they have lived in an area for at
least 18 months during the previous three years, rather than six out of the previous 12 months, as at present.

And all London councils should share responsibility for those arriving in Westminster but who are unable to prove a strong connection to any area in the capital, it recommended.

It also said more incentives should be offered to Westminster tenants to consider vacating social housing once their incomes increased.