ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews government definitions, so far as they exist and considers the basic assessment of need carried out by councils, and how this relates to government definitions. It looks at the planning dimension of housing need, and addresses community care needs. The chapter provides an overview of the full range of contexts in which government policy and advice touches on the question of how to define and measure the state of being ‘in housing need’. However, a definition of ‘need’ which referred only to concealed households would be very limited, since it excludes existing households in need and the homeless. The House of Commons Environment Committee refers to a number of definitions of need. Neither of the two main government approaches to defining ‘housing need’ is complete or coherent. This impedes councils in their attempts to frame policy, and cannot provide a clear basis for central government decisions.
