Exempt accommodation
Dear Epping Forest District Council,
This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
This request concerns “exempt accommodation”. The UK Parliament defines this as: “Supported housing which is exempt from certain Housing Benefit provisions. It is a sector which houses more marginalised groups with support needs, such as recent prison leavers; care leavers; those fleeing domestic violence; and homeless people with substance dependence or mental health issues.”
I understand that housing benefit for people in “exempt accommodation” is paid by the council directly to landlords.
I would like to request the following information:
(1) Please state how much housing benefit has been paid by the council directly to landlords to provide “exempt accommodation” for those in receipt of the benefits. Please provide the figures for each of the past three financial years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21), as well as any available data for 2021/22.
(2) Please provide a list of the 20 landlords that have received the highest amount in housing benefit from the council for providing “exempt accommodation” for those in receipt of the benefits. Again, please provide this information for each of the past three financial years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21) as well as any available data for 2021/22. For each year, please (a) provide the landlord’s full name or company name, (b) state the total amount they received from the council in each year.
I would like to highlight how the Information Commissioner’s Office has previously ruled that this type of information should be disclosed. For example, in 2015, the ICO held that Torbay Council was not entitled to withhold the names of landlords who have directly received the largest amounts of housing benefit. In 2014, the ICO also ruled that Halton Borough Council was wrong to withhold similar information.
I would like to receive the data in an Excel format. If you feel that a substantive response to this request is not possible within a reasonable timeframe, I would be grateful if you could contact me and provide assistance as to how I can refine the request. If you need any clarification, please contact me.
I look forward to receiving a response in 20 working days. Many thanks.
Yours faithfully,
Jenna Corderoy
Dear Jenna Corderoy,
Freedom of Information Request Ref:2136
I refer to your recent request for information about Exempt Accommodation,
which was received by the Council on the 10th February 2022.
Your request is being dealt with in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be responded to within twenty working days
of the date of its receipt by the Council.
If you have any queries about your freedom of information request, do not
hesitate to contact me. Please quote the reference number above in any
further communication concerning your request.
Yours faithfully,
Lynne Ridley
Epping Forest District Council
Civic Offices,
High Street,
Epping,
Essex, CM16 4BZ
(01992) 564000
Dear Jenna Corderoy,
Freedom of Information Request Ref: 2136
I refer to your recent request for information about Exempt Accommodation.
The information you requested is as follows:
1. Please state how much housing benefit has been paid by the council
directly to landlords to provide “exempt accommodation” for those in
receipt of the benefits. Please provide the figures for each of the
past three financial years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21), as well as any
available data for 2021/22.
1. 2018/2019 = £842,995.79
2. 2019/2020 = £939,085.60
3. 2020/2021 = £903,108.99
2. Please provide a list of the 20 landlords that have received the
highest amount in housing benefit from the council for providing
“exempt accommodation” for those in receipt of the benefits. Again,
please provide this information for each of the past three financial
years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21) as well as any available data for
2021/22. For each year, please (a) provide the landlord’s full name or
company name, (b) state the total amount they received from the
council in each year.
2018/2019 2019/2020 2020/2021
Landlord Amount Landlord Amount Landlord Amount
Details Received Details Received Details Received
NOTTING HILL NOTTING
GENESIS HSNG £221,871.99 NOTTING HILL £180,634.84 HILL £141,435.77
ASSOC. GENESIS HSNG GENESIS
ASSOC. HSNG ASSOC.
NACRO FINANCE PLACES FOR
£173,389.06 ABBEYFIELD £146,941.43 PEOPLE £126,442.02
W/A SOCIETY HOMES
LONDON &
QUADRANT £139,519.18 NACRO £135,457.87 ABBEYFIELD £125,814.07
HOUSING TRUST FINANCE W/A SOCIETY
PLACES FOR £121,301.05 PLACES FOR £128,865.01 NACRO £109,740.25
PEOPLE HOMES PEOPLE HOMES FINANCE
ABBEYFIELD LONDON & LONDON &
W/A SOCIETY £72,408.27 QUADRANT £95,859.45 QUADRANT £92,502.13
HOUSING HOUSING
TRUST TRUST
HOME GROUP ANCHOR ANCHOR
LTD £46,078.98 HANOVER £87,442.09 HANOVER £73,819.45
GROUP GROUP
PEABODY SOUTH EPPING
EAST LIMITED £17,692.92 £54,764.28 FOREST DC £69,589.51
ANCHOR TRUST (HOMELESS)
ANCHOR TRUST £16,910.29 HOME GROUP £39,313.93 ANCHOR £51,215.94
LTD TRUST
ANCHOR £9,844.19 £26,758.13 HOME GROUP £43,635.00
HANOVER GROUP ZINC LTD
SWAN HOUSING PEABODY
ASSOCIATION £8,631.77 SOUTH EAST £18,376.68 £27,382.03
LTD LIMITED ZINC
ZINC SWAN HOUSING PEABODY
£7,899.05 ASSOCIATION £13,616.30 SOUTH EAST £26,514.43
LTD LIMITED
FAMILY MOSAIC SWAN
£4,856.88 EPPING £10,780.99 HOUSING £5,911.04
FOREST DC ASSOCIATION
(HOMELESS) LTD
EPPING FOREST ABILITY ABILITY
DC (HOMELESS) £2,592.16 HOUSING £274.60 HOUSING £5,284.20
ASSOC. ASSOC.
MEADOW £3,823.15
OASIS CIC
At present this data is not available for 2021/2022.
The information supplied to you continues to be protected by copyright.
You are free to use it for your own purposes, including for private study
and non-commercial research, and for any other purpose authorised by an
exception in current copyright law. Documents (except photographs) can be
also used in the UK without requiring permission for the purposes of news
reporting. Any other reuse, for example commercial publication, would
require the permission of the copyright holder.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your freedom of information
request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review
requests should be submitted within two months of the date of your receipt
of this response to your request and should be addressed to: Nathalie
Boateng, Shared Head of Legal Services, Epping Forest District Council,
Civic Offices, Epping, Essex, CM16 4BZ.
Please quote the reference number above in any further communication
concerning your freedom of information request.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an internal review, you have
the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner in
connection with the Council’s handling of your request. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Yours faithfully,
Lynne Ridley
Epping Forest District Council
Civic Offices,
High Street,
Epping,
Essex, CM16 4BZ
(01992) 564000
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