Barnet (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Barnet Council spent £34 million on temporary accommodation in the year to March 2024, marking a 28% increase from the previous year, new data reveals.
According to fresh data, Barnet spent more last year on temporary housing for the homeless.
Due to authorities’ lack of other housing options, a record number of households and children in England are being placed in temporary housing.
Families are “crammed” in hostels and bed and breakfasts, according to housing charity Shelter, which urged the government to fund long-term solutions including building 90,000 social houses annually.
According to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Barnet Council spent £34 million on temporary housing in the year ending March 2024, which is 28% more than the £26.5 million spent the previous year.
Additionally, compared to the £28.4 million spent five years prior, this represented a 20% increase.
In 2023–2024, councils in England spent £2.3 billion, a 29% increase from the previous year, to provide temporary housing for homeless households.
Additionally, it was almost twice as much as the £1.1 billion spent in 2018–19, discounting the £150 million in administrative expenses from the previous year.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said:
“We simply cannot continue pouring money into temporary accommodation instead of investing in solutions that will end the housing emergency for good.
The severe lack of genuinely affordable social homes and extortionate private rents have condemned 164,000 children to homelessness while councils are running out of options of where to house them.”
She added:
“Families are crammed into hostel rooms and mouldy B&Bs, sent miles away from their local areas and constantly worried about whether they will be homeless for weeks, months or even years.”
According to her, the government has to invest in 90,000 social houses a year through the June Spending Review.
Nearly £400 million in grant cash was given to councils last year to address the demands of temporary housing and domestic homelessness.
The grant amount has grown to £633 million under the new financing arrangements for 2025–2026, with over half of it set aside for initiatives aimed at preventing and alleviating homelessness. Only £323 million remains available for short-term housing as a result.
Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said:
“An uprating of the temporary accommodation subsidy is desperately needed to address the significant and growing cost pressures faced by councils.
As the Spending Review approaches, now is the opportunity for the government to ensure councils are sufficiently resourced to provide essential services and help boost growth to communities.”
To guarantee a coordinated approach to addressing housing requirements, the council is strengthening its relationships with housing providers. Supporting mixed-tenure developments involves collaborating with private developers and housing groups.
In order to promote its housing efforts and lessen the financial strain brought on by the expense of temporary housing, Barnet Council is looking for additional money from government grants and other sources.
By detecting and resolving non-occupation, programs such as the temporary accommodation occupancy check pilot seek to maximize the utilization of already available temporary housing.
According to separate data, as of the end of September, 164,040 children in England were homeless and living in temporary housing, the greatest number since records have been kept. This is a 15% increase in just one year.
Another record-high number of households were in temporary housing, totaling 126,040.
In Barnet, 2,623 households were in temporary housing overall. 2,934 youngsters were included in this.
An MHCLG spokesperson said the government “inherited a housing crisis”.
They added:
“We are tackling the root causes of homelessness by building 1.5 million new homes, boosting social and affordable housing, and abolishing section 21 no fault evictions.
Alongside this we are providing £1 billion in additional support for homelessness services.”
The Deputy Prime Minister is spearheading a cross-government initiative to develop a long-term plan “to get back on track to ending homelessness for good,” they stated.
How is Barnet council planning to address the increasing demand for temporary housing?
Effective preventative initiatives, like early intervention and mediation programs, have been put in place by Barnet Homes to lower the number of households moving into temporary housing. The goal of a family mediation initiative, for instance, is to keep young adults living with their families.
In an effort to expand the availability of affordable housing, the council has begun buying homes. Barnet Homes supported the purchase of 249 residences at Colindale Gardens and purchased 127 street properties in 2023.
To accommodate residents’ various requirements, Barnet Council is constructing new homes, including supported and affordable housing. This covers initiatives such as the construction of new, reasonably priced rental homes.