FOI request (FOIR-434495063)

Social housing and waiting times

Requested Tue 05 July 2022
Responded Wed 20 July 2022

I am researching social housing waiting times for vulnerable families and individuals in the UK. Under the Freedom of Information Act, could you please provide me with the following information, specific to your council:

1. In 2015/16 and 2020/21, the average length of time a household spent waiting to be moved into permanent social housing.

2. In 2015/16 and 2020/21, the average length of time a household/person spent living in temporary accommodation. (Typically, are these individuals subsequently moved into permanent social housing once they leave temporary accommodation.)

3. As of 4 July 2022, a breakdown of how many people in each of your housing need/priority bands are waiting to be moved into permanent housing. (Can you please include the average waiting time for the different housing need/priority bands, as well as the longest wait people are experiencing in each group?)

4. As of 4 July 2022, the number of people in your council area currently living in temporary accommodation who are:

a. Children

b. Victims of domestic abuse

c. Medically unwell and require appropriate housing to suit their needs

d. Suffering from a mental illness

e. Victims of violence and/or gang-related/physical threats

Response

Please see attached spreadsheet containing the requested information.

Notes:

1. Average length of time. For 2020/21, we do not publish average length of time, instead we now publish longest waiting time. See attached spreadsheet.

2. Average length of time spent in temporary accommodation.

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information requested in respect of Q2 would require us to manually check individual records held on a spreadsheets @ 2 per week, this would far exceed the time limit set out by the Information Commissioner therefore under S12 of the Freedom of information Act 2000 provides an exemption from the obligation to comply with a request for information if the estimated costs of complying with that request would exceed the prescribed appropriate limit

We estimate that the costs of complying with your request would exceed the appropriate limit by a significant amount.

For this reason we feel unable to comply with this request.

Therefore we have provided figures (see attached spreadsheet) that was submitted to the government as part of the P1E quarterly return of those who left temporary accommodation during the year.

3. Average waiting time as at 4 July 2022. As above, we do not publish average wait times, we only publish longest waiting times - See attached spreadsheet.

Attachments

• FOIR-434495063_FOIR-434495063_1-FOIR-434495063_-_information.xlsx