Baroness Grender.

Hang on a minute! Where’s the official correction and clarification – with apology for misleading Parliament and the public – from the Department for Communities and Local Government?

It’s all very well saying they will take steps to ensure “this does not arise in future”, but that changes nothing about what has already happened.

And what, exactly, does an intention that “this does not arise in future” mean? The wording seems intentionally ambiguous.

So let us make it perfectly clear:

Under the Conservatives, the overall number of people facing homelessness has not fallen.

Is that clear?

Now keep your eyes and ears open for Tory claims to the contrary, because they will try to perpetuate the lie.

Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness Rosalind Grender, has submitted a formal complaint to the UK Statistics Authority about the government’s misuse of homelessness statistics in press notices and parliamentary debates.

In a letter responding to her concerns, Ed Humpherson, the Authority’s director general, said he agreed with her complaint. He described the Department’s use of the figures as “disappointing” and that it was “potentially misleading” to the public.

The UK Statistics Authority disputed figures announced by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which claimed last year that homelessness had been more than halved since 2003.

However, the government’s claim was based on a very narrow statutory definition of homelessness which included only those who authorities are obliged to help.

The number did not take into account homeless people who were given assistance under other schemes.

The overall number of people facing homelessness has not dropped.

The government also did not explicitly include the statutory homelessness definition in parliamentary debates in the House of commons and Lords, or in press releases.

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “We’re aware of the issue raised and have taken steps to make sure this does not arise in future.”

Source: Government rebuked again for misusing statisics – this time on homelessness – Politics and Insights

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