One in four English councils spending 5% of core budgets on temporary accommodation

Hastings Borough Council spent the most on temporary accommodation relative to its budget at 49.3%. Crawley Council was second as it spent 30.1% of its CSP, and Arun was third with a spend of 26% of its CSP.

Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “The shocking strain that the cost of temporary accommodation now has on local councils is totally preventable.

“Where once people were able to find safe and affordable homes, we are now living in total insecurity, within a cruel and broken system.”

The campaign group is calling on the next government to bring about the Renters (Reform) Bill “as a matter of urgency” after the current government shelved it ahead of the upcoming general election in July.

The legislation had reached the House of Lords, but it was confirmed on 24 May that it did not make the ‘wash-up’ period, where bills are quickly progressed after a general election has been called.

This means the government’s promise to end Section 21 no-fault evictions by the end of the parliament has been broken.

Mr Twomey said: “Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions remain a leading cause of homelessness in our country. Now more than ever, private renters need a new law to end these unfair evictions and grant us the proper protections we need to keep us safe from homelessness.”

Data from the Local Government Association showed that the number of households living in temporary accommodation has risen by 89% over the past decade, costing councils at least £1.74bn in 2022-23.