London council becomes registered provider to tackle homelessness ‘crisis’

Richmond Council joins around 200 other local authorities that are registered to provide social housing.

Explaining the move previously, Jim Millard, deputy leader of Richmond Council, said: “In the face of a temporary-accommodation crisis which has been exacerbated by the soaring cost of living, we need to take swift action to alleviate the impact on Richmond residents in need.”

In February, London Councils, an organisation that represents 32 borough councils and the City of London, warned that the capital’s boroughs spent £90m a month on temporary accommodation last year.

Richmond Council said being able to bid for GLA funding would mean it could “pursue creative approaches to increasing the stock of good-quality temporary accommodation within the borough”. This would include buying properties on the open market, the authority said.

The council does not currently hold any housing stock.

More than 500 families in the borough were in temporary accommodation at the beginning of February.

Mr Millard said that becoming a registered provider would allow the council to “directly deliver accommodation within the borough for those in need”.

He added: “This decision not only streamlines the process, but shows how we are innovating to tackle this challenge at a local level.”

Richmond is the second council to become a registered provider of social housing this year. East Lindsey District Council joined the RSH’s list of approved providers in January.

A flurry of councils became registered providers at the beginning of this decade, with 15 joining the list in the space of 18 months, to get funding for rough sleeping and to build more homes.