More than 300 children face becoming homeless during the school
holidays this summer as a result of the housing crisis, the
equivalent to a primary school’s worth of children, council leaders
warn today.
The Local Government Association estimates 320 homeless
children in England could be placed into temporary accommodation
over the next six weeks, based on trends for the last two
years.
The number would exceed the size of an average primary
school, which has 282 pupils.
The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, is
calling on the new Prime Minister to make tackling homelessness
an urgent priority when he arrives in 10 Downing Street next
week.
According to latest government figures, there are more than
124,490 children living in temporary accommodation.
The severe shortage of social rented homes available to
house families in means councils have no choice but to place
households into temporary accommodation, including bed and
breakfasts.
Not only is this financially unsustainable for councils, it
is also extremely disruptive to the families and children
involved.
Placements in temporary accommodation can present serious
challenges for families – from parents’ employment and health to
children’s ability to focus on school studies and form
friendships.
As part of its Councils Can campaign, the LGA wants the new
Prime Minister and his government to introduce a range of
measures to help councils tackle homelessness and to give them
the tools and powers to resume their historic role as major
housebuilders of good, quality affordable homes for social
rent.
It says councils should be allowed to keep 100 per cent of
receipts of council homes sold under Right to Buy – to reinvest
in new replacement homes – and to also be able to set Right to
Buy discounts locally.
With councils facing a £421 million funding gap by 2025 to
tackle homelessness, the LGA is urging the Government to use the
Spending Review to give councils long-term sustainable funding to
prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.
It is also calling on the Government to adapt welfare
reforms so local housing allowance rates go back to covering at
least the lower 30 per cent of market rents.
Cllr Martin Tett, the LGA’s Housing spokesman, said:
“While for many children the summer holidays will be a
break from school to be enjoyed with family and friends, for
others they face the tragedy of becoming homeless.
“It is not right that hundreds of children risk enduring
the disruption of being placed into temporary
accommodation.
“Councils desperately want to find every family a good,
quality home, but the lack of available housing is making this an
almost insurmountable challenge.
“This is why we are urging the Prime Minister to make
tackling homelessness a priority.
“While it was good the Government lifted the housing
borrowing cap to give councils more freedom to build new homes,
the new Prime Minister should take this even further and in the
Spending Review give councils the tools they need to resume their
historic role of building the homes the country needs.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Methodology
The calculation of 320 children potentially being placed in
temporary accommodation is based on a two-year trend, from
December 2016 to December 2018, the most recent period for which
data is available, which shows an extra 231 children are being
placed in temporary accommodation every month.
In December 2016 there were 118,930 children living in
temporary accommodation, which increased to 124,490 in December
2018. A difference of 5,560 amounts to 231 each month over a two
year period. Calculated across six weeks – the length of the
school holiday – this would make 320 children.
Full data available here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/808318/TemporaryAccommodation1.xlsx
