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4. Notes on tables
4.1 The data presented in these tables are based on the time period relevant to the analysis. In some cases this might be the year of application, while in others this might relate to the year in which the assessment was made or action taken. Data prior to December 2001 are reported by year of application only, as are any time series data. All years refer to financial years.
4.2 Between 1990-91 and 10 December 2001, information from the authorities' case returns is grossed up so that the total number of applications, on the whole, is equal to the numbers supplied on the authorities' quarterly returns. Since the resulting figures are estimates, the numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred for national level analyses and to the nearest ten for local authority level analyses (see section 5). Due to the fact that the national figures from 1992-93 to December 2001 are rounded, figures may not sum to the totals given, as the totals are based on the unrounded figures. Percentages are also based on unrounded figures.
4.3 To facilitate comparisons between authorities, some of the local authority tables are presented in the form of percentages. However, where the number of applications is small the percentage figures should be treated with caution.
4.4 Unless otherwise stated, the assessment category of 'homeless' includes both homeless and potentially homeless, as well as unintentional and intentional homeless. Although the focus of the current legislative changes is on providing secure accommodation to those assessed as unintentionally homeless, the proportion of applications assessed as intentionally homeless and in priority need is relatively small. This category has therefore been combined with that of unintentionally homeless and in priority need for the more complex analyses.
4.5 The data collection system introduced in December 2001 allows analysis by individual households and the identification of repeat applications. However, this is not the case for earlier data and so analyses comparing data over time will tend to refer to applications rather than individual households. This is also the case for analyses of flow through the assessment process where repeat applications by the same individual household might be assessed differently and have different outcomes. For other analyses it is useful to distinguish individual households and so the unit of analysis (applications or individual households) is specified in the footnotes for each table.
4.6 The figures on households in temporary accommodation relate to households which have been placed in temporary accommodation by a local authority under the Homeless Persons legislation. This will include households for whom the local authority's decision and final action is still pending, as well as households which were secured such accommodation as a final action by the authority under the legislation. The data provide a snapshot picture of the numbers in temporary accommodation as at the last day of each quarter.
4.7 The following symbols are used in all tables:
- nil
* less than half the final digit shown (less than: 0.5%, 50 for figures rounded to nearest 100, or 5 for figures rounded to nearest 10)
.. not available.
4.8 Figures which have been revised for this issue (as well as all percentages) are shown in italic type. In some tables, where figures have been rounded, the total shown may not equal the sum of its constituent parts.
4.9 Due to the live nature of the data collection system, figures are updated on a continuous basis and the information published here may differ from that published previously.
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