THE PROVISION OF FURNISHED ACCOMMODATION BY LOCAL-AUTHORITIES

Providing furnished accommodation is one of the means by which local a uthorities can provide a benefit to their residents in response to the government's attempts to limit social security expenditure. The provi sion of furniture can also be used to increase lettings in hard to let areas and to reduce the turnover of property. This paper describes th e spread of furnished lettings among different authorities and conside rs in detail the introduction of part-furnished accommodation in Newca stle upon Tyne. The service provided in Newcastle is evaluated using t he local authority's tenancy records and interviews with tenants. The results showed clear benefits to both the council and its tenants in p roviding furnished accommodation.