We must tackle out-of-borough temporary accommodation placements

On paper, it sounds like a workable solution for authorities struggling to meet their housing need to support their residents. In practice, where real lives are involved, it is often a tragedy bordering on farce.

Exacerbated by the growing pressures in the housing market, particularly the private rented sector, struggling London boroughs not able to meet housing demand in already heated markets look to comparatively cheaper counties to relocate their residents.

Likewise, the now-saturated out-of-London housing markets in turn force those local authorities to seek housing solutions elsewhere, with some sending residents as far as 250 miles away in order to secure affordable accommodation.

In my constituency of Gillingham and Rainham in Medway, out-of-borough places are becoming an increasing problem. It impacts housing supply and creates an artificial rent inflation in the local market, as Medway residents and the council are priced out by management companies and landlords that directly approach struggling London authorities willing to pay two or three times the average local rent. 

“The now-saturated out-of-London housing markets in turn force those local authorities to seek housing solutions elsewhere, with some sending residents as far as 250 miles away in order to secure affordable accommodation”

But there are also additional pressures. The support required by families is placing strain on already creaking local services, such as schools, healthcare and children’s services.

Here are some recent examples. A housing management company, which, having converted an office tower block in the borough through permitted development rights, offered the property directly to a London council at inflated rents for temporary accommodation purposes, having bypassed the local authority completely.

In another case, a single mother was placed in Gillingham with her seven children. She was desperate to be close to her local support network and had concerns about the standards of the property in which she had been housed. Following an inspection by the Medway housing team, the property was deemed to be unsafe, but responsibility for her housing remained with the authority that had placed her here.

Initially, the authority refused to take the concerns she had raised seriously, despite several interventions from Medway Council. Eventually, it took the decision to withdraw its temporary accommodation duty, evicting the resident with no offer of an alternative.

At this stage, her options were limited, and Medway Council was left with the responsibility to find a solution. Senior officers at Medway escalated the case and were able to get a resolution with the local authority, but without this involvement, she would have been left with few options.

This case not only exposes the flaws in the current system, but reinforces the fact that it is often the most vulnerable in our communities who find themselves in such challenging circumstances with the potential for long-term impacts on their well-being.

Most local authorities will express their frustrations at the current system, and stress that out-of-area placements are often a last resort. But a housing crisis, which has seen housebuilding fail to keep up with demand, a chronic lack of social housing and a private rented sector under strain are central to the challenge.

“In the short term, information-sharing across authorities could improve to provide better support for residents and alleviate the burden on local resources”

So, what are the possible solutions? In the short term, information-sharing across authorities could improve to provide better support for residents and alleviate the burden on local resources; a national system for notifying placements could support this and help to build vital data.

Additionally, a deeper dive into the impact out-of-borough placements is having on host authorities could also be a helpful starting point and would give an opportunity to identify potential solutions, such as a more equitable method to calculate funding. In many cases, host local authorities can be priced out of the market as the base level of subsidy available is lower than in London.

Longer term, the new Labour government’s ambitious housing programme, delivering 1.5 million homes including social housing, is the only real answer that will get to the heart of problem, enabling councils to offer sustainable housing options.

Furthermore, a review of the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently being considered by parliament, will also provide further security to renters and help prevent some of the pressures faced by local authorities.

In the interim, however, the impact of out-of-borough placements cannot be overlooked.

Naushabah Khan, MP for Gillingham and Rainham