Data on statutory overcrowding

Chelmsford City Council did not have the information requested.

To whom it may regard,

I am writing to make an open government request for all the information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 - related to council houses that are in breach of statutory overcrowding rules.

This request refers to statutory overcrowding by both the ‘space standard’ (determining how many people may occupy a dwelling with regard to the number of sleeping accommodation rooms in the dwelling and floor area of the rooms) and the ‘room standard’ (determining how many non-cohabiting people aged 10 and over of the opposite sex may share sleeping accommodation) as defined by the Housing Act 1985.

For the calendar years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (separately), please tell me:

1) How many statutory overcrowding breaches did the council record for households housed by the council in each year? Please provide a breakdown of breaches by a) space standard and b) room standard, and specify whether households may be captured as both a room and a space standard breach.
2) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than two people have lived in a home with one room
3) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than three people have lived in a home with two rooms
4) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than five people have lived in a home with three rooms
5) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than 7.5 people have lived in a home with four rooms
6) The number of breaches of the space standard where more than 10 people have lived in a home with five rooms
7) For breaches of the room standard, the maximum number of people sleeping in one room as recorded by the council
8) How many households who have applied for council housing are living in temporary accommodation
9) Please list all the types of temporary accommodation the council has placed households in (including but not limited to: shipping containers, caravans, B&Bs, converted office buildings, and any other kind of accomodation).

Please provide the requested data in a spreadsheet format.

If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters.

I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

For clarity - I am using a Whatdotheyknow account created by my colleagues Claire Wilde and Harriet Clugston - but my name is Carly Roberts.

Thanks,
Carly Roberts.

Information Request, Chelmsford City Council

Dear Carly,     

 

I am sending this email in response to your Freedom of Information Act
(2000) request reference IR 8995. Please use this reference in any
subsequent contact relating to this request.

 

Response

I can confirm that Chelmsford City Council does not hold information on
your request. In Chelmsford, the main registered provider would need to be
contacted for this information as this Council does not have any housing
stock of its own, having transferred it to a Housing Association in 2002.
The main registered provider in Chelmsford is the Chelmer Housing
Partnership (CHP) and they can be contacted at: [1][email address].

 

Please note that in regards to the types of temporary accommodation the
council has placed households in, the Council uses a variety of Temporary
Accommodation (TA) types such as Nightly Let properties, B&B, properties
leased from the Private Sector, Housing Association properties, Supported
Accommodation (including a mixture of self-contained and shared facility
units), Modular Units and some Council owned properties for TA use only.
All TA properties except Nightly Let and B&B units are managed by various
Housing Associations on behalf of the Council with the Council referring
applicable homeless households to TA properties according to the
household’s size/circumstances /duty owed and the availability of given TA
properties. Caravans, shipping containers and converted office buildings
aren’t used as TA by the Council.

 

Right to Internal Review

If you are dissatisfied with this response or with the way your request
has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act, you have the right
to ask for your request to be independently reviewed by the Director of
Connected Chelmsford. You should set out your representations in writing
explaining why you are dissatisfied with this response or the way your
request has been handled and send to [2][email address] . The review
will be conducted in accordance with the Council’s internal review
procedure which is published on its website at
[3]http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/node/33297 . You will be notified of the
outcome of the review as soon as possible and in any event within 20
working days from receipt of your representations.

 

Appeal

If you should still remain dissatisfied following the outcome of the
review, you may apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision by
writing to:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 1231113 or 01625 545745

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Heather Binns

Information Governance Officer

Chelmsford City Council

 

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