Moved by
Lord Randall of Uxbridge
66B: After Clause 71, insert the following new Clause—
“Criterion that may not be used in deciding what classes of persons are not qualifying persons
(1) In deciding what classes of persons are not qualifying persons under section 160ZA(7) of the Housing Act 1996 (“the 1996 Act”) (allocation only to eligible and qualifying persons: England), a local housing authority in England may not use the criterion set out in subsection (2).
(2) The criterion is that a relevant person must have a local connection to the district of a local housing authority.
(3) A relevant person is a person who—
(a) is, or has been, a victim of domestic abuse within two years of the date of their application for an allocation of housing under Part 6 of the 1996 Act; or
(b) has recently ceased, or will cease, to reside in accommodation provided by a local authority in an area in which they have been subjected to domestic abuse and where—
(i) the victim of domestic abuse has fled, or will flee, their local area; and
(ii) the purpose of fleeing was, or is, to escape domestic abuse.
(4) In deciding upon the allocation of housing to a relevant person, a local housing authority may not consider the location or whereabouts of the perpetrator of the domestic abuse.”