FOI request (FOIR-589074953)

Temporary accommodation providers

Requested Thu 22 February 2024
Responded Tue 05 March 2024

This is a request for information according to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please note there are three parts of my request, which relate to temporary accommodation.

1. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council used caravans and/or holiday parks to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless? Please provide a Yes/No answer.

By presenting as homeless, I mean people who have presented to the council as homeless, and who the council has a duty to house, and therefore provided temporary accommodation before finding more secure housing.

1a. If yes, please can you also provide:

- The name of the caravan/holiday park accommodation provider.

- The amount paid by the council to the caravan/holiday park accommodation provider per financial year.

- The number of people housed in caravans/holiday park accommodation.

2. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council used hotels to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless? Please provide a Yes/No answer.

2a. If yes, please can you also provide:

- The name of the hotel accommodation provider.

- The amount paid by the council to the accommodation provider per financial year.

- The number of people in hotel accommodation.

3. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, has your council provided tents to provide temporary accommodation to people presenting as homeless? Please provide a Yes/No answer.

3a. If yes, please can you also provide:

- The total costs spent on tents per financial year.

- The number of people to have received tents.

Response

1. No

1a. Not applicable

2. Yes

2a. Refused

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information in relation to the accommodation provider is exempt under Section 38(1)(b) of the FOIA 2000 - Health and Safety.

S38 allows public authorities to decline a request for information if it will endanger the safety of any individual. Under S38 we are not obliged to confirm or deny if we hold the information you have requested.

S38 is also subject to public interest test where public authorities have to consider if disclosing information is outweighed in cases where the health and safety of an individual or a group of individuals is put at risk.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a) Transparency and accountability.

We consider these factors to be generally of limited or no relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves.

In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a) The safety of any individual.

b) Information, which if disclosed, could predictably be used to or would otherwise harm the safety of a vulnerable individual or a group of individuals.

c) The safety of these individuals is paramount.

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure.

Amount paid to hotel accommodation providers:

2021 = £13,109.70

2022 = £42,211.21

2023 = £11,916.50

Number of households in hotel accommodation during the year:

2021 = 6

2022 = 25

2023 = 7

3. No

3a. Not applicable