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Children in some parts of England are spending more than five and a half years in temporary accommodation, a Sky News investigation has found.

Data from Freedom of Information requests shows London and the South East are the regions seeing the longest stays for homeless households.

More than two-thirds of local authorities saw households with children experience stays 20% longer than households without children.

The average length of time spent in temporary accommodation ranges from two weeks to five and a half years – depending on where in the country people live.

Average lengths of stay for all households have increased by nearly a fifth (17%) since 2020.

£1bn funding boost for councils to tackle homelessness

Lewisham was the worst-affected local authority, with some families with children having been stuck in temporary accommodation for more than five and a half years in 2023-24.

In 2020-21, the average length of stay in the south-east London borough was 620 days – in the four years since it has risen to 2,044.

Lewisham, Brighton and Wandsworth are the areas that currently have the longest average stays – all more than three and a half years.

That is according to the latest data from the first six months of this financial year (2024-25). Ninety-seven councils responded to Sky News’ Freedom of Information requests.

Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation in London. Submitted by Adele Robinson.
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Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have been in temporary accommodation for years

Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation in London.

Despite working full-time, she has been unable to find anywhere to privately rent.

She said Logan, who is four, has spent “most of his life” in temporary accommodation.

“They told me I could be here for another three years,” she said. “I don’t want him to be suffering in one room.”

Nicole also describes temporary accommodation as “not safe for any child under the age of seven”.

She added: “When the government are giving nothing to the council, and the council have nowhere to put us, they’re literally putting us where they have, be it safe or not.”

Nicole Hamilton and her son Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation in London. Submitted by Adele Robinson.
Image:
Nicole and Logan have spent more than two years in temporary accommodation

‘Children will grow up with different life chances’

Claire Cruise, a lawyer from Southwark Law Centre specialising in education, describes a “two-tier system” developing between those children who live in temporary accommodation, and those who do not.

She said: “You have the long-term impact on children’s mental health, you have the social isolation… children in hotel rooms don’t have desks to be able to do their work, they fall behind their peers so quickly.

“My fear is that it leads to a two-tier society and we are talking a significant number who will grow up with completely different life chances.”

A shortage of housing nationally is contributing towards the homelessness crisis.

The government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

Shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, Kevin Hollinrake, describes the plan as “confused” and “chaotic”.

He told Sky News: “Look at the maps, look at where those houses are, many of the boroughs of London have seen a decrease in their targets for housing delivery, a decrease.

“Yet we know the demand in London for rough sleeping, for temporary accommodation, is at its highest.

“So it makes no sense… it’s chaotic right now. It’s all over the place.

“Now say if they can deliver on this stuff, great… more affordable homes, more social homes, then we’ll welcome that… but at the moment it’s very difficult to see how that’s going to happen.”

Read more on Sky News:
Starmer has big housing ambitions – but will it work?
Councils to get £68m to build on brownfield sites

‘Consequences of years of failure’

In response, the minister for homelessness Rushanara Ali said the government has “inherited the consequences of years of failure to grip the housing crisis”.

She described “far too many families and children” who are “facing the uncertainty and trauma of homelessness”.

“This has to stop, which is why we are taking decisive action and working at pace across government to end homelessness,” she said.

“We have already announced extra funding to bring support for homelessness services to £1bn next year.

“On top of this, we will deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and tackle one of the biggest drivers of homelessness by ending no fault evictions.”

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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