Editha

British expat who returned to UK from Spain found HOMELESS and starving after council refused to house him | Olive Press News Spain

Pomster

There are big chunks of information missing from this.

To send him a letter, he had to have an address (even if a temporary one)- so what happened to that.
If he has only lived in Spain for 2 years, where was he living before that?
What happened to his accommodation and possessions in Spain?
Did he just up and leave everything?

How did he manage to get back to UK?

Too many gaps to make it a story with any substance.

Editha

I don't agree. The story was also in the Sun, which added the detail that he gave up a council flat to go to Spain. He has returned because of relationship breakdown, so presumably he had been living with his partner in Spain. All sorts of things can happen to the belongings of someone who is homeless, none of them good. Given his age, he presumably has a state pension, which paid for his flight from Spain.

The story seems to have quite a lot of substance to me.

morpeth

I don't know the particulars but the story seems quite believable. The Habitual Residence Test is quite focused on the 90 day rule which inhibit flexibility of the council. Though I wonder why after 90 days in the UK he wouldn't get benefits. I wonder if the 90 day rule applies to refugees.

scrubbedexpat142

I think they go into B&Bs, pending...

Editha

Asylum seekers are neither allowed to claim benefits nor work. If they are destitute they receive asylum support of around £5.28 a day.

Editha

https://www.parliament.uk/business/c...blished-16-17/

scrubbedexpat142

So they're not left on the streets then.

verystormy

The 90 day rule is different to the rules for public housing. The 90 day applies to benefits. However, a council can (and from my personal experience) do apply a period of up to two years living in the council area to even get on the list for housing.

Editha

Not at that point, no. However, if granted refugee status, they have 28 days to find a job or claim benefits and find accommodation, after which asylum support stops. A high proportion become homeless at that stage.

morpeth

The world is a strange place. British citizens refused a place to stay and "asylum seekers" given a place to stay.

morpeth

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...t-payments-cut

I don't know all the particulars, but the story of the 82 old man shows how strange government priorities are. There should be this level of discussion care for people like him. Especially considering how well-paid many council managers are often paid, maybe they could help support such people better themselves !

BristolUK

Habitual Residency Test - introduced in 1994 to prevent "benefit tourism" (including housing as well as state benefits) but was very quickly found to result in more refusals for Brits returning to the UK than for other nationalities. It had the opposite effect to that intended.

Nobody in power cared, though, because it was only affecting low income people and as we all know they deserve less assistance than the well off.

I wonder which government was responsible.

scot47

Habitual Residency Test applies to benefits from DWP. Housing is a different matter and currently Housing Legislation gives more decision making to the landlords (Council housing department or housing association) to determine the rules. I know of areas in Scotland where there is no need for a local connection and where there is a surplus of housing.

In the field of Housing Legislation., as in the field of Welfare Benefits, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

BristolUK

I agree a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing but Housing certainly does take into account habitual residency.

It's how the thread began.