Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation — [Sir Edward Leigh in the Chair]

02 December 2020 · 15 other contributors · 13,592 words

Opened by Karen Buck Lab Westminster North

Responding minister: Kelly Tolhurst

Housing

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Karen Buck raised concerns about homelessness and temporary accommodation — [sir edward leigh in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The number of households in temporary accommodation has risen by 14% to 98,300, affecting 127,240 children.
  • Families in temporary accommodation often face substandard conditions, dislocation, and health issues due to poor maintenance.
  • The government acknowledges progress in supporting vulnerable people during the pandemic but commits to providing over 750 million next year to tackle homelessness.

Key requests to Government

The government needs to address the lack of investment in social housing, remove the benefit cap, reverse the freeze on local housing allowance, and ensure that rents align with market rates. Legislation should be introduced to provide more security for private renters and end no-fault evictions. The welfare safety net must be strengthened, and councils' homelessness costs need full funding.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Karen Buck Lab Westminster North

The number of households in temporary accommodation has risen by 14% to 98,300 with 127,240 children affected. Many families are placed in substandard and insecure properties that are often expensive and lead to issues like dislocation, benefit cap breaches, and health problems due to poor conditions and maintenance issues. The cost of managing temporary accommodation is significant, but the quality of housing provided falls short, exacerbating the already vulnerable situation of homeless individuals.

Other contributors (15)
  • Abena Oppong-Asare Lab Erith and Thamesmead

    Ms Oppong-Asare shared a personal story of a constituent who faced eviction during the pandemic despite being on furlough. She questioned why her constituent did not receive increased housing benefit or support to find suitable accommodation.

  • Andrew Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick

    The MP discussed long-term issues in temporary accommodation, citing 1,200 households in Hammersmith and Fulham and advocating for at least 90,000 social homes per year as the only long-term solution. The Member calls for a focus on social housing construction, noting the historical contributions of social estates built by various entities over time, and questions the lack of new quality estates being constructed.

  • Anthony Mangnall Con Ruislip-Northwood

    Welcomes the Government's and local authorities' actions to support rough sleepers during the pandemic, highlighting the furlough scheme that has protected millions of jobs. Emphasises the need for long-term solutions such as providing wraparound support for mental health and addiction issues through a Housing First approach. Mentions the £433 million investment to provide 6,000 safe homes for rough sleepers and calls for better data collection on homelessness.

  • Christina Rees

    Ms Rees praised the Welsh Government for their decisive action during the pandemic to house homeless individuals, noting that no one died from covid-19 in Wales up to June 26. She criticised England's approach and called on the UK Government to support comprehensive policies to end homelessness.

  • Edward Leigh Con Gainsborough

    He informed the attendees that due to high demand, speaking time would be limited to three minutes each.

  • Helen Hayes Lab Dulwich and West Norwood

    Ms Hayes highlighted the rise in temporary accommodation figures since 2011, with 98,300 households including 127,240 children. She criticised the gap between local housing allowance payments and actual rent prices, noting that this affects thousands of her constituents.

  • Imran Ahmad Khan Lab Wakefield

    Approximately 726 people died of homelessness in England and Wales in 2018. In Wakefield, 216 individuals were housed in short-term shelter after seeking help. The Government has provided £105 million for immediate support and an additional £161 million for longer-term accommodation. Despite these efforts, the number of households in temporary accommodation increased by 14% from June 2019 to June 2020.

  • James Sunderland Con Bracknell

    The MP highlighted £4.6 billion of non-ring-fenced funding for councils and a further £254 million allocated to rough sleeping in the spending review, reducing homelessness from 31 to 12 people since 2019 with rapid referrals into temporary accommodation within 24 hours.

  • Joy Morrissey Con Beaconsfield

    Ms Morrissey focused on temporary accommodation for families in London, highlighting the high cost of living and lack of affordable social housing. She shared experiences from her work as a community outreach worker and suggested looking at best practices from other regions like the west midlands where a link between housing and employment has been established.

  • Lyn Brown Lab Newham Westside

    Newham has the highest rate of homelessness in the country, with one in every 12 children homeless last Christmas. The speaker highlighted cases of families struggling to find affordable homes and staying in temporary accommodation for extended periods, risking their health and stability.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    The MP called for a step change to address the increase in homelessness over the last decade. She urged the Minister to build social housing at scale, implement the Housing First programme based on existing evaluations, and ensure ongoing funding for wrap-around support services.

  • Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden

    Families housed in temporary accommodation face uncertain timelines, with some waiting up to five or six years. The Association of Accounting Technicians highlighted a £40 million loss due to changes in stamp duty surcharges on overseas property investments intended for homelessness projects. The Member requests an investigation into the practice of placing families outside their borough boundaries, highlighting that 27,650 families were relocated across the country, with a specific example in her constituency where families were placed in unsuitable conditions due to councils' inability to manage.

  • Stephen Timms Lab East Ham

    Raises concerns about the significant increase in households in temporary accommodation in Newham since 1985. Calls for a new national policy on standards and length of stay in temporary accommodation, suggesting that these should be covered under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 to regulate conditions better. Also highlights risks to children's health and development in such housing and calls for safeguards to protect them. Welcomes the Minister's agreement to consider a regulator for temporary accommodation practices but also asks about setting standards for such accommodations that the regulator would monitor.

  • Tan Dhesi Lab Slough

    The MP expressed concern over a 78% increase in homeless children since 2010 and the number of households seeking homelessness assistance, calling for an emergency programme to house rough sleepers safely during winter.

  • Thangam Debbonaire Lab Bristol West

    The MP highlighted the moral failing of having anyone on the streets or in unsuitable temporary accommodation, citing statistics and case studies. She urged the Minister to take away suggestions from MPs to prevent homelessness and improve conditions for those in temporary accommodation. The Member asserts responsibility for the current state of homelessness lies with the party in power for the past decade, despite future actions being necessary.

Government Response

Kelly Tolhurst

I congratulate the hon. Member for Westminster North on securing the debate and thank all right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions. I recognise that ending rough sleeping is unacceptable, and acknowledge the achievements made in supporting more than 29,000 vulnerable people during the pandemic, with nearly 19,000 provided with settled accommodation or move-on support. The spending review demonstrates our commitment to tackling homelessness, providing over £750 million next year for rough sleeping initiatives and capital funding to bring forward thousands of homes for rough sleepers. We aim to enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 fully and have spent an unprecedented amount on frontline services since the start of the pandemic. Since the introduction of the Act, 270,000 households have had their homelessness prevented or relieved through securing accommodation for more than six months. Local authorities have a duty to ensure temporary accommodation is suitable and can fine landlords up to £30,000 in penalties if they fail to maintain housing standards. The Government are determined to stop the long-term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children and will deliver 300,000 new homes annually by the mid-2020s through at least £44 billion funding over five years. We launched a successor programme of £11.5 billion for affordable homes, which will deliver up to 180,000 additional homes if economic conditions allow. The Next Steps accommodation programme provides vital funding to help people move on from emergency accommodation and the Protect programme offers £15 million to support rough sleepers through winter.

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