Domestic abuse survivors in England may find it easier to move away from abusive partners as a result of new proposals from the British government. Under plans, which are out for consultation, the local connection test would be scrapped.
Currently, this test sees local authorities only allowing people to join their housing lists if they can prove they have a local connection – for example, that they have been resident in the borough for five years. If a person is unable to provide such a connection, it can make it hard for them to get social housing. This in turn can make it difficult, if not impossible, for someone experiencing domestic abuse to flee.
But while survivors and charities alike have welcomed the new proposal, they caution that the government-imposed cap on the amount of benefits a person can claim, combined with the acute shortage of social housing in London, the south east and parts of the south west, means that even without the test, many domestic abuse survivors will still be unable to move. Research has shown that the benefit cap in particular is creating a desperate situation for women and children trying to escape an abuser.
