First Let rents for SR GN four, five, and six beds in London, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19

The request was successful.

Dear Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,

In response to previous questions, ref. 7656278 of 21 May 2020, and ref. 9748327 of 22 November 2020, you have provided the following information:

1. The number of First Let General Needs Social Rent lets in each London
local housing authority area in 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19 with a total
number and a breakdown by LA and PRP, with the number of lets by each
number of bedrooms.

2. Mean average rents (exclusive of service charge) for these lets, with
breakdowns by LA and PRP, for each London local housing authority area,
and by the number of bedrooms in each case.

In each case, in the ‘Notes’ to the tables which you have supplied, you say ‘Tenancies with 4+ bedrooms have been merged into a single category in line with our standard statistical disclosure policy to ensure data confidentiality’.

I am now requesting that this information is provided with 4, 5, and 6+ beds shown separately. This is in order to assess outcomes of public policy regarding these three distinct categories of properties, which each have separate Social Rent formulas, and separate amounts for the Social Rent Cap.

The Freedom of Information Act obliges you to ask whether the full requested data is held by you (I believe that it is); and then to consider whether there is any valid reason why it should not be released.

The reference in response to previous questions to merging all 4+ beds together as part of a ‘standard statistical disclosure policy to ensure data confidentiality’, as mentioned above, is not an acceptable explanation for non-disclosure.

Instead, I request that you follow the same approach for 4, 5 and 6+ beds as for 1, 2, and 3 beds; an approach which you have detailed in the Notes to the tables supplied in answer to the previous questions referenced above:

“Mean rents and/or charges have been suppressed where there were fewer than 3 lets in a category (i.e. for that number of bedrooms in that LA area by that provider) as counts of fewer than 3 are not deemed robust enough for use”.

I would be therefore be grateful if you could release the data for 4, 5 and 6+ beds as requested.

With thanks.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Burnham

MHCLG Correspondence,

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Despatch Box,

                            
Our reference: 10846558             
Information request

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Dear Mr Burnham
 
Thank you for your Information Request of 26 March 2021.
 
We will aim to send you a response by 27 April 2021.
 
If you have any questions, please ask by return email. Please leave the
subject line unchanged when replying, to make sure your email gets
straight to us.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Kind regards,
 
MHCLG FOI Team
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Paul Burnham left an annotation ()

We will aim to send you a response by 27 April 2021.

Despatch Box,

1 Attachment

                            
Our reference: 10846558             
Information request

show quoted sections

Dear Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's handling of my FOI request 'First Let rents for SR GN four, five, and six beds in London, 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19'.

I am requesting an internal review regarding your refusal of my request. You have responded to my request with a refusal, on the grounds of privacy and confidentiality. However I do not feel that you have taken a properly balanced approach to the right of access by the public to public sector information regarding social housing costs to residents, and the appropriate privacy protections of individuals.

The CORE data is the only direct source for the housing costs for first let social rent dwellings, including those at larger bedroom sizes. My questions aim to examine the range of varying average rents and service charges, both across the tenures (council and private providers), and in different boroughs. This is unique data which allows us to see in practice how landlords are setting social rents and service charges.

These issues are the sole focus of the research, and in my view the data requested ought to have been released with the usual protections. There is no intention to intrude upon the privacy of tenants.

The Ministry has not followed a consistent policy on this matter, and I would wish to refer you to the outcome of an internal review dated 12 February 2020, case reference 9748327, conducted by Andy Jennings of the MHCLG FOI Team. This decided in favour of a disclosure policy which allowed information to be published where the number of properties concerned was not less than three.

Unfortunately, information on the rents for a category of properties with 4+ beds is of very little use in understanding the outcomes of rent setting, simply because we do not know the bedroom size mix.

We know that the data is held by the Ministry in a more helpful form, and the present request is seeking consistency in following the same approach for 4, 5 and 6+ beds as for 1, 2, and 3 beds. There is no difference in principle between homes with more and fewer bedrooms, and I would expect data to be redacted in all cases where the number of properties is less than three.

I am therefore asking you to reconsider your decision in this instance.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...

Yours faithfully,

Paul Burnham

MHCLG Correspondence,

This email address is not monitored for MP correspondence and is only used
for Information Requests under the FOI Act and the EIR, if you are an MP
PLEASE RE-DIRECT YOUR EMAILS TO:   

[1][email address

[2][email address
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[5][email address

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Despatch Box,

                            
Our reference: 10846558             
Information request

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Dear Mr Burnham,
 
Internal review under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 23 June 2021. We are
sorry that you are dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your request
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
We are considering your concerns and will aim to provide you with a
response by 20 August 2021.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
MHCLG FOI Team
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Paul Burnham left an annotation ()

response by 20 August 2021.

Dear Despatch Box,

You advised me in June 2021 that "We are considering your concerns and will aim to provide you with a
response by 20 August 2021."

However no reply has been received.

I would be grateful if you could update me with progress in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Burnham

Despatch Box,

Dear Mr Burnham
 
Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you. Our
analysts are currently considering the data involved and I hope to be able
to update you shortly.
 
MHCLG FOI Team

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Despatch Box,

You advised me in June 2021 that "We are considering your concerns and
will aim to provide you with a
response by 20 August 2021."

However no reply has been received.

I would be grateful if you could update me with progress in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Burnham

show quoted sections

Despatch Box,

2 Attachments

                            
Our reference: 10846558             
Information request

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Dear Mr Burnham,
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 23 June 2021. I am
sorry that you are dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your request
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 
 
Please find attached our response.
 
If you are unhappy with the outcome of this internal review, you can ask
the independent Information Commissioner to investigate. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at email address [1][email address] or
use their online form at [2]ico.org.uk/concerns or call them on 0303 123
1113.
 
 
Yours sincerely
 
MHCLG FOI Team
 
 
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Dear Despatch Box,

Thank you for your helpful response following internal review.

Summary points from the information released will be shared with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Council Housing at their forthcoming tenants evidence session on Monday 25 October.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Burnham

MHCLG Correspondence,

This email address is not monitored for MP correspondence and is only used
for Information Requests under the FOI Act and the EIR, if you are an MP
PLEASE RE-DIRECT YOUR EMAILS TO:   

[1][email address

[2][email address]  

[3][email address

[4][email address]  

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Neil.o'[email address

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please re-direct your enquiry via the contact form on our website 

References

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Paul Burnham left an annotation ()

This was a helpful response following internal review. Summary points from the information released will be shared with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Council Housing at their forthcoming tenants evidence session on Monday 25 October 2021.