Children in Temporary Accommodation

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟏𝟒 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚.”

In Oldham the number of young in temporary accommodation with their family has hit an unacceptable 𝟲𝟵𝟬 children. While much of the accommodation will meet the required standard there is no doubt at all that some are not what we would want for our own families, often single rooms for whole families, some away from primary schools, as well as friends and family support.

The Labour government has outlined a plan for change to address the housing crisis, reduce reliance on temporary accommodation, and enhance protections for private renters.

Construction of 1.5 million new homes: Labour plans to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, focusing on social and affordable housing to alleviate shortages contributing to increased temporary accommodation use.

Abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions: The government is moving to end Section 21 evictions, preventing landlords from terminating tenancies without a valid reason, thereby offering tenants greater security and reducing homelessness risks.

£1 billion investment in council housing: Labour has pledged nearly £1 billion in the upcoming budget to accelerate the construction of council houses, aiming to decrease homelessness and lessen the demand for temporary accommodation.

Enhancement of the Affordable Homes Programme: An immediate £500 million boost will be provided to the existing Affordable Homes Programme, expected to deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This investment brings Labour’s total commitment to housing supply to over £5 billion in 2025/26.

Reform of the Right-to-Buy scheme: The government plans to reform the Right-to-Buy scheme, allowing councils to retain all sales receipts to reinvest in new social housing, thereby increasing the long-term supply of affordable homes.

It will take more than seven months to turn around 14 wasted years, but we know this is urgent, and the steps taken will help turn the tide.