More than 310,000 children in England are forced to share beds with other family members because of overcrowding, according to housing campaigners.
The National Housing Federation says its research shows that one in every six children are being forced to live in cramped conditions with no personal space.
It says the housing system in England is ‘broken’ because of underfunding by successive governments, and is calling for an ‘urgent, long term, national plan’ to increase the number of affordable and social homes.
The federation says the findings demonstrate ‘grave structural inequalities in our society’, with families from ethnic minority backgrounds three times more likely to be affected by overcrowding than white households.
In just under half (41%) of overcrowded homes, children or teenagers are sharing a bedroom with their parents.
Kate Henderson, the federation’s chief executive, said: ‘Overcrowding is a direct result of our broken housing system, caused by underfunding by successive governments and a failure to prioritise building new homes for people on low incomes.
‘As a country, we are failing these families and these children and this must stop.
‘We need an urgent, long term, national plan aimed at drastically increasing the number of affordable and social homes across England.’
