Councils paying millions more for temporary accommodation in social housing shortage

Published

3 years ago

November 25, 2022

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An extra £118m, at least, will be spent this year on temporary accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, by councils, a Sky News investigation has found.

If trends continue, local authorities in England will spend nearly a quarter more (24%) this financial year than pre-COVID-19.

Outside London, expenditure is on track to increase by 55%.

The number of families living in temporary accommodation (TA), as a proportion of the population, has also risen by 8%.

Around £309m was spent by councils on TA in the six months to September, and they are expected to spend well over £618m this financial year.

That’s compared with £500m in the year to March 2020.

The true figure will be much higher because out of more than 300 local authorities contacted, through freedom of information requests, only 180 responded with comparable data.

The biggest increases in TA spending since before the pandemic have been in Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West.

The biggest rises have been in St Helens, Rossendale, Torridge, Sunderland and Wigan.

Torridge district council, in Devon, one of the worst affected, has a forecast for TA expenditure of £1.1m this year, an increase of more than 2,000%.

Devon is a case study in itself, bearing the brunt of external housing market pressures.

There are 70% fewer properties available to rent there than in 2018 and the cost of rented accommodation has also risen by 42%.

It is also believed that in Torridge, a “tourist hotspot”, a “significant number” of properties are being let as holiday homes.

Torridge district councillor Rachel Clarke, lead for homelessness and housing need, told of “unprecedented pressures” with “modest reimbursement” from the government.

“The council is facing significant challenges in finding affordable rented accommodation for residents in temporary accommodation, and hence their stays in TA are longer,” Ms Clarke said.

“The cost pressures associated with temporary accommodation is by far the biggest cost pressure this council faces.”

More children in temporary accommodation

The latest government figures also show that the number of families with children living in TA in England, outside London, has risen by more than 20%.

Sally O’Malley and her son Ollie, 12, are one of those statistics.

They lived in a hotel, followed by a B&B, after she was made homeless through a “no fault” section 21 eviction.

She was told, like many are, that she would not be eligible for help from the authorities until the day she became homeless.

Ms O’Malley, 49, who is from Leeds, was evicted from her privately rented house and describes the ordeal as “traumatising” and “hell”:

“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy… horrible. We got to the stage where I really wanted to give in,” she said.

“Then I’d beat myself up cos how could I think that with Ollie? I had no fight left. I didn’t want to do one more phone call, one more email. I totally lost myself, I was drowning.”

She is now in rented accommodation paid for through her housing allowance but, as it doesn’t cover the cost of rent, is topped up by the local council.

She is one of thousands going through a cycle of eviction, homelessness, temporary accommodation and then back into an expensive private rental sector.

The councils that responded to information requests have spent £1.98bn on temporary accommodation in the past three and a half years.

Rising rental costs and falling supply

The reasons behind the rise in costs is partly down to more homelessness in some areas, but also due to the rising cost of accommodation itself.

The supply of privately rented accommodation is dropping, which is partly pushing up prices.

Some councils are also struggling to find places to put people up in, which means they are having to resort to more expensive shorter-term lets.

Sean Gillespie has a portfolio of properties to rent in Hull and blames government legislation for a lack of stock as it forces landlords to sell up.

He claims the most damaging piece of legislation has been “section 24”, which came fully into force last year and means landlords are no longer able to offset financial costs against tax.

“Can you imagine a business, any business, where you can’t offset your costs? How is that possible? It’s now possible to make a loss as a landlord and still pay tax – it’s bonkers,” he said.

“We are not taxed on our profits, we’re taxed at our turnover. Where is the spare money?… We [landlords] don’t want a new Rolex, we just don’t want to sell someone’s house.

“Because that doesn’t help anyone. I really don’t know where people are going to live. There’s going to be a housing crisis. It’s in the post, a massive crisis, it’s catastrophic.”

Alex Diner, senior researcher of housing policy at the New Economics Foundation, describes temporary accommodation as a “national scandal”.

“We are throwing far more money at the symptom of the problem and far less on addressing the root cause of it,” he said.

“It’s economically illiterate and dysfunctional that we’re allowing ever-increasing amounts of money to pay for that, rather than dealing with the problem at source and building social and affordable housing that the country so desperately needs.”

Lack of social housing the key problem

At the heart of all this is one uniting factor: a distinct lack of social housing.

Think of the housing market as a vicious circle of inequality, with two things happening at the bottom.

One: unaffordable housing has driven more and more people on low incomes into the private rented sector.

Two: social housing stock has been sold off and not replaced and therefore benefit recipients have also been forced increasingly to privately rent.

The fact is the private rental sector has become a substitute for social housing.

In the middle of it, two converging groups of people have begun to compete for the same place to live.

Government figures show 25.7% of households in the private rental sector are in receipt of housing benefit.

If we built more affordable homes, and specifically more social housing, it would slowly take the heat out of the private rented sector and ultimately market sales.

Private rental has become a precarious and increasingly unaffordable sector and is one of the main reasons why taxpayers are spending billions on temporary accommodation.

From an economic perspective it may appear nonsensical, certainly in terms of “levelling up”.

Ultimately, an overreliance on the private rented sector, as more landlords sell up, will only serve to deepen social and housing inequality.

A government spokesperson said: “Temporary accommodation is a last resort, but a vital lifeline for those at risk of sleeping rough.

“We are giving councils £316 million this year to prevent homelessness and help ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.

“We know people are concerned about rising costs, which is why we have announced the energy price guarantee, to support household with their energy bills over the winter, and a further £37 billion of support for those struggling with the cost of living.”

Business

Poundland to stop paying rent at hundreds of stores in rescue deal

Published

12 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Poundland to stop paying rent at hundreds of stores in rescue deal

Poundland will halt rent payments at hundreds of its shops if a restructuring of the ailing discount retailer is approved by creditors later this summer.

Sky News has learnt that Poundland’s new owner, the investment firm Gordon Brothers, is proposing to halt all rent payments at so-called Category C shops across the country.

According to a letter sent to creditors in the last few days, roughly 250 shops have been classed as Category C sites, with rent payments “reduced to nil”.

Poundland will have the right to terminate leases with 30 days’ notice at roughly 70 of these loss-making stores – classed as C2 – after the restructuring plan is approved, and with 60 days’ notice at about 180 more C2 sites.

The plan also raises the prospect of landlords activating break clauses in their contracts at the earliest possible opportunity if they can secure alternative retail tenants.

In addition to the zero-rent proposal, hundreds of Poundland’s stores would see rent payments reduced by between 15% and 75% if the restructuring plan is approved.

The document leaves open the question of how many shops will ultimately close under its new owners.

A convening hearing has been scheduled for next month, while a sanction hearing, at which creditors will vote on the plan, is due to occur on or around August 26, according to one source.

The discounter was sold last week for a nominal sum to Gordon Brothers, the former owner of Laura Ashley, amid mounting losses suffered by its Warsaw-listed owner, Pepco Group.

Poundland declined to comment.

Business

Israel-Iran conflict poses new cost of living threat – here’s why

Published

18 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Israel-Iran conflict poses new cost of living threat - here's why

The UK’s cost of living crisis hangover is facing fresh pressure from the Israel-Iran conflict and growing tensions across the Middle East.

Whenever the region, particularly a major oil-producing country, is embroiled in some kind of fracas, the potential consequences are first seen in global oil prices.

The Middle East accounts for a third of world output.

Money latest: ‘Unusual movement’ in house prices

Iran’s share of the total is only about 3%, but it is the second-largest supplier of natural gas.

Add to that its control of the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route, and you can understand why any military action involving Iran has huge implications for the global economy at a time when a US-inspired global trade war is already playing out.

What’s happened to oil prices?

Global oil prices jumped by up to 13% on Friday as the Israel-Iran conflict ramped up.

It was the biggest one-day leap seen since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which gave birth to the energy-driven cost-of-living crisis.

From lows of $64 (£47) a barrel for Brent crude, the international benchmark, earlier this month, the cost is currently 15% higher.

Iran ships all its oil to China because of Western sanctions, so the world’s second-largest economy would have the most to lose in the event of disruption.

Should that happen, China would need to replace that oil by buying elsewhere on the international market, threatening higher prices.

How are natural gas prices holding up?

UK day-ahead prices are 15% up over the past week alone.

Europe is more dependent on Middle East liquefied natural gas (LNG) these days because of sanctions against Russia.

The UK is particularly exposed due to the fact that we have low storage capacity and rely so much on gas-fired power to keep the lights on and for heating.

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The day-ahead price, measured in pence per therm (I won’t go into that), is at 93p on Monday.

It sounds rather meaningless until you compare it with the price seen less than a week ago – 81p.

The higher sum was last seen over the winter – when demand is at its strongest.

What are the risks to these prices?

Market experts say Brent crude would easily exceed $100 (£74) a barrel in the event of any Iranian threats to supplies through the Strait of Hormuz – the 30-mile wide shipping lane controlled by both Iran and Oman.

While Iran has a history of disrupting trade, analysts believe it will not want to risk its oil and gas income through any blockade.

What do these price increases mean for the UK?

There are implications for the whole economy at a time when the chancellor can least afford it, as she bets big on public sector-led growth for the economy.

We can expect higher oil, gas and fuel costs to be passed on down supply chains – from the refinery and factory – to the end user, consumers. It could affect anything from foodstuffs to even fake tan.

Increases at the pumps are usually the first to appear – probably within the next 10 days. Prices are always quick to rise and slow to reflect easing wholesale costs.

Energy bills will also take in the gas spike, particularly if the wholesale price rises are sustained.

The energy price cap from September – and new fixed-term price deals – will first reflect these increases.

How does this all play out in the coming months?

So much depends on events ahead.

But energy price rises are an inflation risk and a potential threat to future interest rate cuts.

While LSEG data shows financial markets continuing to expect a further two interest rate cuts by the Bank of England this year, the rate-setting committee will be reluctant to cut if the pace of price growth is led higher than had been expected.

At a time when employers are grappling with higher taxes and minimum pay thresholds, and consumers a surge in bills following the ‘awful April’ hikes to council tax, water and other essentials, a fresh energy-linked inflation spike is the last thing anyone needs.

Business

Farming: Cost of rural crime in Wales at its highest in more than a decade

Published

24 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Farming: Cost of rural crime in Wales at its highest in more than a decade

The cost of rural crime in Wales is at its highest in more than a decade, a new report has revealed.

Last year, rural crime cost an estimated £2.8m in Wales, according to insurance provider NFU Mutual.

That’s an 18% increase on the previous year, with Wales the only UK nation to have seen a rise.

For farmers like Caryl Davies, that makes their work harder.

The 21-year-old farms on a beef and sheep farm in Pembrokeshire.

She told Sky News that having the quad bike stolen from her family farm last August had made them feel “really unsafe at home”.

The fact it happened in such a rural area was a “really big shock” for Ms Davies and her family.

“We’d rely on the bike day in day out, to look after our cows and sheep, and it’s had a really negative impact on us,” she said.

The cost of replacing a bike exactly like theirs would be “close to £10,000”.

“They’re a really expensive piece of kit, but you can’t be without them, especially in these rural areas where we’ve got the mountain and maybe places that aren’t very accessible,” she added.

“The bike is totally crucial for our day-to-day running of the farm.”

The incident was caught on camera in the calving shed, but the Davies family have since invested in an enhanced CCTV system. That comes at an additional cost.

“For some farmers, this is spare money that we haven’t really got,” Ms Davies added.

“Farming is hard enough as it is, without people stealing your things and having to spend this extra money on making your home farm safe.”

The total cost of rural crime across the UK has fallen since 2023 – down from £52.8m to £44.1m.

Quad bike and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) remained the top target for thieves during the past year, NFU Mutual’s figures show.

James Bourne farms in Pontypool, Torfaen, and claims to have had over 200 sheep stolen from common land adjoining his farm over a four-year period.

The 32-year-old told Sky News that losing sheep from his herd was a “big hit” on his business as well as the young family he is trying to support.

“The way agriculture is at the moment anyway, we’re struggling to make ends meet, and any profit that is in it is obviously being taken from me,” he said.

“So I really need to try and find out and get to the bottom of where they’re going because obviously it’s an ongoing issue.”

Andrew Chalk, from NFU Mutual, told Sky News that while there had been a “significant drop” across the UK, there were “worrying signs”.

“In Wales, especially, rural crime’s gone up which just shows that organised criminals are looking for ways to target the countryside again and again,” he said.

“What we’ve found increasingly is that organised criminals are targeting certain areas of the countryside, so they’re hitting multiple farms in one night.

“They’re raiding them, they’re moving away to another area and then hitting multiple farms there. So it is hugely concerning.”

Mr Chalk said NFU Mutual had also heard reports of criminals using drones and other equipment to “look at the lay of the land”.

“What it does show is that organised criminals are always going to find new ways to target rural crime and that’s why we need to be on top of it and to work together to actually disrupt them,” he added.

Police forces in Wales say they are aware of the “significant impact” that rural crimes have on those affected.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said the force had acquired new technology to help combat rural crime, including “advanced DNA asset-marking kits” and hopes to “empower farmers with effective tools and advice”.

The spokesperson acknowledged the difficulty of patrolling the entire police force area, “given the huge area” it has to cover, and thanked rural communities for their “continuing vigilance and for reporting any suspicious activity”.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Jason White, from Gwent Police, said the force would be “increasing resources” within the rural crime team throughout this financial year and urged anyone in a rural area who believes they have been a victim of crime to get in touch.