Exempt accommodation
Case reference FOI2022/00376
Published 11 May 2022
Request
1) Please complete the following questions below about the cost of exempt provision in your local authority in 2021/22. A) How much did you spend on the provision of "exempt accommodation"? B) How many HB claims did you receive under the exempt rules? 2) Please complete the following questions below about the providers of exempt accommodation in your local authority for each of the following years: 2021/22 a) Total number of providers who received exempt HB funding Of which were: i) Registered Providers (registered with the Regulator of Social Housing). ii) Registered Charities (Organisations registered with Charity Commission but not with Regulator for Social Housing) iii) Community Interest Companies (registered as a CIC on the Companies House register, but not registered with the Regulator of Social Housing or the Charity Commission). iv) Local Authority (including those where the Authority is also registered with the Regulator of Social Housing). v) Other b) Total number of units provided that received exempt HB funding for each of the following years: 2021/22 i) Registered Providers (registered with the Regulator of Social Housing). ii) Registered Charities (Organisations registered with Charity Commission but not with Regulator for Social Housing) iii) Community Interest Companies (registered as a CIC on the Companies House register, but not registered with the Regulator of Social Housing or the Charity Commission). iv) Local Authority (including those where the Authority is also registered with the Regulator of Social Housing). v) Other 3a) Could you provide a list of all providers that have provided exempt accommodation and, if possible, the number of claims they are/were responsible for? Could you please provide this data for the years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 4) a) Please can you provide links to or copies of any policy/procedure or guide for the following? b) Please could you confirm if you have a dedicated team looking into exempt accommodation or exempt accommodation claims? If so, how many people in this team?
Response
1) Please complete the following questions below about the cost of exempt provision in your local authority in 2021/22.
A) How much did you spend on the provision of "exempt accommodation"?
A. We currently do not separate between normal HB expenditure and exempt accommodation expenditure
B) How many HB claims did you receive under the exempt rules?
A. We paid 157 HB claims during 2021/22
2) Please complete the following questions below about the providers of exempt accommodation in your local authority for each of the following years: 2021/22
a) Total number of providers who received exempt HB funding
A. 15 providers
Of which were:
i) Registered Providers (registered with the Regulator of Social Housing).
A. 11
ii) Registered Charities (Organisations registered with Charity Commission but not with Regulator for Social Housing)
A. 4
iii) Community Interest Companies (registered as a CIC on the Companies House register, but not registered with the Regulator of Social Housing or the Charity Commission).
A. 0
iv) Local Authority (including those where the Authority is also registered with the Regulator of Social Housing).
A. 0
v) Other
A. 0
b) Total number of units provided that received exempt HB funding for each of the following years: 2021/22 -
A. 35
i) Registered Providers (registered with the Regulator of Social Housing). -
A. 29
ii) Registered Charities (Organisations registered with Charity Commission but not with Regulator for Social Housing) -
A. 6
iii) Community Interest Companies (registered as a CIC on the Companies House register, but not registered with the Regulator of Social Housing or the Charity Commission).
A. 0
iv) Local Authority (including those where the Authority is also registered with the Regulator of Social Housing).
A. 0
v) Other
A. 0
3a) Could you provide a list of all providers that have provided exempt accommodation and, if possible, the number of claims they are/were responsible for? Could you please provide this data for the years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22
A. I have been advised that records not kept for 2019/20 or 2020/21 but would include most if not all of the following.
2021/22:
Advance Housing
Bespoke Supportive Housing
Citizen
Connexus
Empower
Inclusion Housing
Rooftop Housing
Sanctuary Housing
Stonewater
Stonham
West Mercia Womens Aid
CCP (Caring for Communities and People)
Mind
Hopescott Hostel
Shaw Healthcare Trust
4) a) Please can you provide links to (or copies of) any policy/procedure documents or guides the council has produced regarding exempt accommodation?
A. We currently do not have a strategic document setting out the authority's position on exempt HB housing . We are guided by the DWP and legislation in regard to this
b) Please could you confirm if you have a dedicated team looking into exempt accommodation or exempt accommodation claims? If so, how many people in this team?
A. No we do not have a designated team - it is dealt with alongside other standard Housing Benefit claims
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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