(1)A council of a county or county borough in Wales must make arrangements to promote co-operation between the officers of the authority who exercise its social services functions and those who exercise its functions as the local housing authority with a view to achieving the following objectives in its area—
(a)the prevention of homelessness,
(b)that suitable accommodation is or will be available for people who are or may become homeless,
(c)that satisfactory support is available for people who are or may become homeless, and
(d)the effective discharge of its functions under this Part.
(2)If a local housing authority requests the co-operation of a person mentioned in subsection (5) in the exercise of its functions under this Part, the person must comply with the request unless the person considers that doing so would—
(a)be incompatible with the person's own duties, or
(b)otherwise have an adverse effect on the exercise of the person's functions.
(3)If a local housing authority requests that a person mentioned in subsection (5) provides it with information it requires for the purpose of the exercise of any of its functions under this Part, the person must comply with the request unless the person considers that doing so would—
(a)be incompatible with the person's own duties, or
(b)otherwise have an adverse effect on the exercise of the person's functions.
(4)A person who decides not to comply with a request under subsection (2) or (3) must give the local housing authority who made the request written reasons for the decision.
(5)The persons (whether in Wales or England) are—
(a)a local housing authority;
(b)a social services authority;
(c)a registered social landlord;
(d)a new town corporation;
(e)a private registered provider of social housing;
(f)a housing action trust.
(6)The Welsh Ministers may amend subsection (5) by order to omit or add a person, or a description of a person.
(7)An order under subsection (6) may not add a Minister of the Crown.
(8)In this section—
“housing action trust” (“ymddiriedolaeth gweithredu tai”) means a housing action trust established under Part 3 of the Housing Act 1988;
“new town corporation” (“corfforaeth tref newydd”) has the meaning given in Part 1 of the Housing Act 1985;
“private registered provider of social housing” (“darparwr tai cymdeithasol preifat cofrestredig”) has the meaning given by Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008;
“registered social landlord” (“landlord cymdeithasol cofrestredig”) has the meaning given by Part 1 of the Housing Act 1996.
Commencement Information
I1S. 95 in force at 1.12.2014 for specified purposes by S.I. 2014/3127, art. 2(b), Sch. Pt. 2
I2S. 95 in force at 27.4.2015 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 2015/1272, art. 2, Sch. para. 46