header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
03 March 2017 / Nicholas Dobson
Issue: 7736 / Categories: Features , Local government , Public
printer mail-detail

House of cards

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
nlj_7736_dobson

Nicholas Dobson explores the public sector equality duty in relation to homelessness

  • Substantial but incomplete overlap exists between those having priority need for accommodation under the Housing Act 1996 and those with public sector equality duty (PSED) protected characteristics

The ancient Roman poet, Horace, once referred to the “discordant harmony of circumstances”. Some might think this aptly describes the relationship between the public sector equality duty (PSED) in s 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) and local authority homelessness duties in Pt VII of the Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996). For although as recent decisions indicate, these provisions do and must work harmoniously together, they can also raise complexities for local authority housing officers having to make tough on-the-ground decisions in difficult and sensitive situations.

A case in point was the 17 January 2017 decision of the Court of Appeal in London Borough of Hackney v Haque [2017] EWCA Civ 4, [2017] All ER (D) 68 (Jan). Briggs LJ gave the leading judgment with which Beatson and McCombe LJJ agreed.

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
NLJ this week: 40% penalty for coercive control
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
NLJ this week: Mbappé row spotlights ‘ethics bonuses’
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll