Giles Peaker comments in the Guardian on tenant’s victory in Supreme Court to remain in London

A single mother of five children has won a protracted legal battle and prevented Westminster council from removing her family to Milton Keynes.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court stressed that local authorities had a statutory duty to provide accommodation in their own area “so far as reasonably practicable”. Any accommodation must be suitable to the needs of the homeless person and each member of the household, the five justices on the court said. “Location can be relevant to its suitability.”

Commenting in the Guardian, Giles Peaker, a partner at Anthony Gold and a recognised expert in housing law, said that in the first three quarters of 2014/15 more than 360 families were rehoused outside London, compared with only 10 households in 2010/11.

“This judgment is significant in a number of ways,” he said. “Local authorities will now have to give proper reasons for out-of-borough resettlements. They can’t just say: ‘We haven’t got anywhere else available.’ Councils will also have to set out public policy on out-of-borough accommodation, which can be challenged.”

Read the full report in the Guardian.

For further information email Giles Peaker or call 020 7940 4060.

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