A change to housing policy that would have required domestic violence victims to register as homeless will be redrafted.

Barnet Borough Council’s Labour councillors last month launched a campaign to stop “dangerous” proposals that would require people at risk of violence to register as homeless so they be moved into emergency accommodation.

The council’s housing committee agreed to redraft the proposal at a meeting on Monday, while apprpoving the other proposed revisions to the council's housing allocations scheme.

Speaking to the Times Series, Labour councillor Reema Patel said: “It’s really important that our policy is designed to look after those who require housing urgently. I just wanted to stress it’s important that they were mindful of the impact words could have.

“It was agreed the policy would be looked at again. I hope we can agree a line on this. I think it’s clear that the wording will be amended to secure priority for domestic violence victims.”

But housing committee chairman Councillor Tom Davey said the policy change should not have been an arena for party politics, as it came from the experience of frontline staff.

Cllr Davey said: “This policy has always been about helping those at risk of domestic violence get out of harm’s way. The new policy gives them the option of presenting for immediate shelter, as previously people may have held on in places of danger due to a false sense of imminent rehousing.”

The committee voted to delegate authority to a senior officer to approve the amended scheme.

Strategic director for growth and environment, Pam Wharfe, will consult with Cllr Davey and Labour’s spokesman for housing, Councillor Ross Houston on the matter.