#BleakHouses CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER REPORT ON HOMELESS CHILDREN

LGA RESPONDS TO CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER REPORT ON HOMELESS CHILDREN

Responding to a report by the Children’s Commissioner, “Bleak Houses”, the Local Government Association’s Housing spokesman, Cllr Martin Tett, said:

“Councils desperately want to find every family a good quality, secure home, and prevent homelessness from happening in the first place. However, the severe lack of social rented homes available in which to house families means councils have no choice but to place households into temporary accommodation, including – in emergencies – bed and breakfasts.

“With homelessness services facing a £159 million funding gap next year (2020/21), the Government needs to use the upcoming Spending Round to ensure councils have long-term sustainable funding to prevent homelessness, and give councils the tools they need to resume their historic role of building homes with the right infrastructure that the country needs. This includes allowing councils to keep 100 per cent of receipts of council homes sold under Right to Buy, so that they can be reinvested in new replacement homes, and the ability to set Right to Buy discounts locally.

“It should also scrap the permitted development right which is taking away the ability of local communities to shape the area they live in, ensure homes are built to high standards with the necessary infrastructure in place and have resulted in the potential loss of thousands of desperately-needed affordable homes.”