Need help understanding cross-boundary housing, safeguarding & vulnerability

[NKO]

Hi everyone,
I’m hoping someone here understands how housing and safeguarding work across council boundaries, because I’m in a really complicated situation and getting nowhere.

I’ll keep it short but clear.

My housing situation has become dangerous

I’m currently living in unsafe accommodation with:

property defects (damp, broken windows, water ingress)

financial pressure (rent increase higher than my UC housing element)

ongoing risk and harassment incidents at my current address

declining mental health because of the conditions and threats

The result is that I’m really struggling to cope, and I’ve been reporting this for a long time to various agencies.

I applied for housing in another council area (where my support network is)

The council I applied to (let’s call them Council A) handles the housing register, bidding, and banding.

But I do not live in their area yet.

That means:

Council A handles my housing priority

Council B (where I currently live) handles safeguarding

Both MUST share information under the Care Act

Both MUST take each other’s information into account

But neither council is communicating properly.

My banding seems completely wrong

Despite risk, threats, mental health decline and unsafe accommodation, I’m placed in a very low band.

I’ve told them about:

police involvement

threat/harassment incidents

medical problems

the unsafe property

financial unsustainability

mental health deterioration

None of this was considered.

I’ve now requested a formal banding review because the law says councils must reassess when circumstances change.

Safeguarding has fallen through the cracks too

Here’s where it gets messy:

safeguarding depends on where you currently live

housing allocation depends on where you apply

So safeguarding is Council B’s job.
Housing priority is Council A’s job.

But neither council seems to be acting, and each appears to think the other will pick it up.

For anyone reading this:
cross-boundary cases are the MOST likely to get lost, and that seems to be happening to me.

What the law actually says (in plain English)

Care Act 2014 section 42

The council where the person lives MUST investigate risk of abuse or neglect.

Care Act 2014 sections 6–7

Both councils MUST co-operate and share safeguarding information when someone’s wellbeing or housing depends on it.

Housing Act 1996 / Homelessness Code of Guidance

The housing authority MUST take vulnerability, mental health and safety into account when deciding banding and suitability — even if the risk is happening in another council area.

Equality Act 2010

They MUST make reasonable adjustments for people with mental health conditions.

Human Rights Act (Articles 2, 3, 8)

Councils cannot ignore serious, ongoing risk to life, safety or mental health.

None of this seems to be happening.

Agencies are just ignoring me

Right now:

Council B (where I live) isn’t acting on safeguarding

Council A (where I’m applying) isn’t reassessing banding or suitability

Mental health services are not involved

Housing won’t recognise risk

And the two councils are not co-ordinating at all

This is happening even though I’ve sent:

evidence of threats

medical information

property photos

deterioration

police reference numbers

And recently, I sent a full multi-agency safeguarding alert.

My question for this community

Has anyone been through a cross-boundary case like this where:

risk is in one area,

housing need is in another,

and neither council seems willing to take responsibility?

How did you get either council to co-operate?
Did anyone have:

wrong banding due to missing vulnerability information?

housing ignoring risk because it happened “in another area”?

safeguarding refusing because the other council was involved?

both councils passing the blame between each other?

Any advice on how you pushed things forward would mean a lot.

I’m not asking for legal advice — just experience

I know the legal framework.
I know the duties.
I know the policies.

I just need to know:

how people got councils to act,

who to contact,

what worked,

and whether anyone had to involve MPs or safeguarding boards to force action.

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

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