West Northamptonshire Council homelessness policy called in for review amid concerns over out-of-area placements

Last week, the Reform UK-led cabinet voted to approve the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Discharge Policy, however concerns were raised that it could lead to households being referred to out-of-area accommodation, with no limit on how far away they could be sent and no requirement for their consent.

WNC said the move would reduce reliance on nightly-paid temporary accommodation and manage expectations around access to social housing.

But Councillor Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group on the authority and a vocal critic of the policy at the meeting, has formally requested a call-in of the decision to review if it was made properly.

The decision will now be looked at by the council’s Children, Education and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee on June 29, 2026.

Councillor Keeble said the call-in was supported by cross-party opposition councillors, many of whom also raised concerns directly at the cabinet meeting.

Reasons for the review include a lack of scrutiny from elected members before the report went to cabinet, no financial analysis provided, and no consideration on what would happen to a homeless household if the landlord chooses to sell the private rented property or the consequence of them being placed outside West Northants and losing support networks, employment and school places.

The signatories of the call-in have asked that the decision be referred back to cabinet, with a recommendation to defer the policy. They say WNC should undertake a financial analysis, an enhanced equality impact assessment, dictate a defined maximum distance threshold for placements, and provide full disclosure on associated documents that were referred to in the officer’s report but weren’t accessible before approving any PRS policy.

The scrutiny committee, which is made up of six Reform UK councillors, three Conservatives, one Labour and one Liberal Democrat member, will be able to debate the matter and make recommendations back to cabinet, but cannot overrule the decision themselves.

At the time of approving the policy, the housing cabinet member, Councillor Charlie Hastie, said the council does not have enough social housing to meet demand and that using the private rented sector discharges would be “a necessary part of the solution”.

Responding to the call in, West Northants Council leader Mark Arnull accused Cllr Keeble of “lobbing slogans instead of solutions”.

“The PRS Discharge Policy is not about ‘forcing’ anyone anywhere, it is about using every available tool to get people out of temporary accommodation and into secure housing more quickly,” he said.

“This policy discharges our statutory responsibilities and gives us flexibility to help residents now and not trap them in hotels or short-term fixes.

“What’s actually driving homelessness in West Northamptonshire is a broken national system of soaring rents, constrained supply, and years of failure by previous administrations to build enough homes. Pretending the council should simply wait for social housing that does not exist is not compassion; it is abdication.”