English councils spent £1.74bn on temporary accommodation last year, research has found as more than 100 local authorities signed up to an ‘emergency’ housing summit.
Councils in England were supporting 104,000 households in March this year with temporary accommodation, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
The analysis revealed an 89% increase in the number of households in temporary accommodation over the past decade.
The LGA has said the ‘dwindling’ social housing supply is being compounded by the rising cost of living, frozen Local Housing Allowance rates, asylum and resettlement schemes, and the fast-tracking of asylum decisions.
LGA housing spokesperson Darren Rodwell said: ‘Councils are under mounting pressure to find suitable homes for an ever-increasing number of people and are doing the best they can under current circumstances.’
The new spending figure emerged as Eastbourne Borough Council and the District Councils’ Network announced an urgent summit to urge the Government to act on the ‘unprecedented demand’ for temporary accommodation.
More than 100 councils have said they will join the summit on 31 October, which local government minister Lee Rowley has been invited to attend.
Eastbourne BC leader Stephen Holt said: ‘The situation is stark. Councils provide a safety net for the most vulnerable people who need our help, and that safety net is at real risk of failing.’
