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London council reports 8% rise in temporary accommodation use but slows rate of increase
Wandsworth Council has revealed an 8% rise in households in temporary accommodation over a 15-month period, but said extra staff is helping it slow the increase.
A total of 3,368 households were in temporary accommodation at the end of 2023 in the borough, compared with 3,102 as of September 2022, the council reported.
Like many local authorities, the south London borough is grappling with rising numbers of people presenting as homeless. In its 2023-24 financial year, Wandsworth reported that 3,597 people made a homelessness application, up by 8% year on year.
In a new report, the council said the situation had “worsened” due to “international factors”, such as “welcoming significant numbers of refugees displaced by the invasion of Ukraine” and "increased sanctuary seekers from the EU”.
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It also pointed to the cost of living crisis and the “long-standing freezing of Local Housing Allowance levels”.
However, the council said that net admissions into temporary accommodation – which is new admissions, fewer departures – was 664. This was around a fifth less than the previous year’s figure of 849, the council reported.
Wandsworth Council said this was due to “increased levels of homelessness prevention and of casework-based decisions”.
In 2022, the local authority approved a decision to create 23 new posts to tackle a backlog. The report said that the latest year showed “encouraging signs" the investment was “seeing strong results”.
Aydin Dikerdem, cabinet member for housing at Wandsworth Council, said: “In the face of the worst temporary accommodation homelessness crisis facing local authorities since records began, it is pleasing to note that in Wandsworth Council use of temporary accommodation slowed significantly.”
He added: “We are working hard to tackle this issue head on. That is why we expanded the homelessness prevention team, and already we are seeing this having a positive impact on our service.”
The council also pointed out that the use of B&Bs fell by 32 placements to just under 2% of all provision.
Official figures published this month showed that 151,630 children were living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of March this year. Housing secretary Angela Rayner called the figures a “national scandal”.
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