In London, we have recently seen an increase in demand for homelessness services. In Havering, there has been a 20% increase over the last year, much of it attributable to evictions by private landlords as rents continue to rise. And there is much more to come.

The Homelessness Reduction Act, which will come into force in April next year, is in many ways a very welcome piece of legislation because it focuses on prevention. It places a duty on local authorities to address any risk of homelessness as early as possible, and to provide support to people regardless of priority or whether they are considered to be intentionally homeless.