Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

authorities definition

What does authorities mean? Authorities are the legal sources a lawyer relies on to justify a proposition of law in submissions, skeleton arguments and judgments. The term is descriptive and widely used across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, rather than being defined by statute. Authorities typically include: primary legislation and subordinate legislation; binding appellate case law within the relevant jurisdiction; and, as persuasive material, decisions from other UK or foreign courts, tribunal rulings, EU and ECHR jurisprudence where applicable, and reputable academic commentary. In Scotland, the writings of the institutional writers (e.g. Stair, Erskine, Bell) may carry particular weight. Textbooks and...

Local connection in homelessness: statutory criteria, inter-authority referrals, placements outside district, and dispute/review mechanisms (England and Wales)

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note sets out guidance on the idea of ‘local connection’ as contained in section 199 of the Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996) for England and section 81 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (H(W)A 2014) for Wales, as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 (HRA 2017) with effect from 3 April 2018. The concept supports local housing authorities (LHAs) in handling housing applications by allowing referrals to other LHAs where an applicant lacks a local connection with the Authority first approached. Its purpose is to avoid any single LHA being overwhelmed by applications. This Practice Note also outlines the relevant legislation and guidance in both England and Wales. Statutory guidance for England was published on 22 February 2018 to coincide with HRA 2017 coming into force on 3 April 2018.

Importance of local connection

A homeless person (the applicant) may seek housing assistance from any LHA. However, this does not oblige the authority that receives the approach to provide assistance. Where the LHA has undertaken the requisite enquiries under HA 1996, s 184 and is satisfied that the...

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Catherine Rowlands

Cornerstone Barristers

Catherine Rowlands has a practice which covers all aspects of public law, especially social housing, community care, and immigration, together with property and other civil litigation.She is a robust and tenacious advocate with substantial experience at all levels from the Magistrates' Court to the Supreme Court, where she has appeared in some of the most important cases in housing law. Cases includeHotak v Southwark LBC, Johnson v Solihull MBC [2015] UKSC 30: the Supreme Court's consideration of vulnerability and priority needBirmingham City Council v Ali et al [2009] UKHL 36: whether accommodation is suitable depends on the period of time for which the person is to be expected to remain thereSolihull Metropolitan Borough Council v Hickin [2012] UKSC 39: succession to a secure joint tenancySandwell MBC v Hensley [2007] EWCA Civ 1425: a tenant who has used his home as a cannabis farm must show good...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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