This chapter sketches out what one might term the ‘micropolitical’ contexts of this particular implementation study. It provides brief biographies of the three fieldwork sites' socio-economic profiles, the councils' respective political complexions, and the role of the councillors in formulating and applying housing policy. These sites are the Eastern Council, Midland City Council, and Western Borough Council. Through its focus on the three case-study authorities, the chapter outlines two further dimensions of the context in which the implementation of the homelessness legislation takes...

This chapter sketches out what one might term the ‘micropolitical’ contexts of this particular implementation study. It provides brief biographies of the three fieldwork sites' socio-economic profiles, the councils' respective political complexions, and the role of the councillors in formulating and applying housing policy. These sites are the Eastern Council, Midland City Council, and Western Borough Council. Through its focus on the three case-study authorities, the chapter outlines two further dimensions of the context in which the implementation of the homelessness legislation takes place, namely, the housing demography of each authority and the extent to which elected councillors exercise individuated and systemic influence on the decisions made by council officers.