North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for answers as to why homelessness figures increased in Flintshire over the fine years up to 2014/15, but fell in other parts of Wales, including Wrexham, Anglesey and Gwynedd.
Mr Isherwood challenged the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Carl Sargeant AM, over the figures during a question in the Chamber this week on Homelessness in Ynys Mon.
Mr Isherwood said:
“The Welsh Government has said it’s not possible to make comparisons of numbers of eligible homeless households between 2015-16 and 2016-17 because of issues of data quality of the 2015-16 figures, and changes to the returns for 2016-17 with the new legislation. We hope figures of suitable or sufficient data quality will be available soon.
“However, in the five preceding years, the number of homeless households on Anglesey fell from 125 to 45. It also fell in places like Gwynedd, Wrexham and Torfaen, but they increased in places like Neath Port Talbot, from 140 to 195, and Flintshire, from 55 to 95. What consideration have you given to establishing why we’re getting these different patterns in different parts of Wales, irrespective of the political colour of the councils at the time?”
The Cabinet Secretary responded to Mr Isherwood’s question about data, but failed to address his point about the homelessness figures for Flintshire.
He said: “The Member is right on what he raises around the data collection. What I’ve asked the team to do is look at, specifically, all areas to have some sort of consistency about interpretation and measurement and how that looks. It may be that it is about interpretation of what that looks like to individual reporting. I fear that we have to have more consistency around data and therefore are able to put investments in the appropriate places where that data has spiked or is increasing.”
Mr Isherwood added: “It is regrettable and possibly quite telling that Mr Sargeant, who represents Alyn and Deeside in Flintshire, ignored my question about homelessness figures over the five years up to 2014/15 .”