Unsuitable housing—the interplay between the Housing Act 1996 and the Care Act 2014 (R (on the application of Idolo) v Bromley London Borough Council)

Article summary

Local Government analysis: Mr Idolo rented a flat from his local authority, the London Borough of Bromley (the local authority). Several months after being granted a permanent tenancy, Mr Idolo became paralysed from the waist down, rendering the property unsuitable for his needs. It took some two years before alternative accommodation was found for Mr Idolo under the local authority’s housing allocations scheme under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996). Mr Idolo brought judicial review proceedings, arguing that the local authority had acted unlawfully by not securing alternative accommodation for him as a means of meeting his needs under the Care Act 2014 (CA 2014). He argued that since the HA 1996 procedure was taking too long, the local authority should have secured accommodation under its CA 2014 duties instead. The court disagreed, holding that whilst identifying a need for alternative accommodation or adapting...