Rise in Barnet Council spending on homeless accommodation.

Figures reveal Barnet Council recorded £11.4 million in net spending on temporary accommodation reports. Sonja Tutty: Data Reporter.

According to recent numbers, Barnet Council’s spending on temporary homeless shelter grew considerably last year. Homeless charity Shelter has warned that private providers are “cashing in” on the housing crisis by charging “eye-watering sums” for rooms.

According to figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Barnet Council spent approximately £11.4 million on temporary accommodation in the fiscal year ended March 31.

It was ​a 59% increase from the £7.2 million net spending in 2023-24, not adjusted for inflation.

Council spending on temporary accommodation in England totalled £1.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, up from £1.1 billion the previous year.

Adjusted for inflation, net spending increased by 31%. The MHCLG reported that net spending on nightly paid, privately managed housing increased the most significantly, reaching £620 million in the fiscal year ended March 31.

It increased by 92% over the previous year’s £323 million, adjusted for inflation. Hostel spending totalled just over £36 million, a 21% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, bed and breakfast accommodation costs approximately £400 million, down marginally from 2023-24.

Mairi MacRae, Shelter’s director of campaigns and policy, stated, “While the housing crisis is consuming billions of dollars in public finances, families across the country are paying the ultimate price.

Money that should be going towards a stable home is instead being spent on squalid temporary housing only to keep people off the streets.” She went further:

“Private providers are cashing in on this crisis, charging eye-watering sums for rooms where children are forced to eat, sleep and do their homework on beds shared with siblings.” She urged the government to establish a “clear overall target for the delivery of social rent homes”.

According to Tom Hunt of the Local Government Association, the data demonstrate how “local authorities are having to stretch budgets further”.

He asked for reforms to the way the government reimburses councils for temporary housing costs, claiming that present housing benefit reimbursement procedures are “outdated”.

He further explained: “Councils must pay landlords according to current market rates whilst reimbursement for councils is linked to 2011 rental rates.”

According to John Glenton of Riverside, which offers housing for those experiencing homelessness, the data demonstrate the “immense and unsustainable” costs authorities face but do not reveal the human impact.

He pointed out: “However, this spending does not show the immense toll that living in temporary accommodation has on families who are often forced to share beds, and live in one single room without kitchen facilities, leaving families deprived of sleep and the ability to make a warm, healthy meal.”

Catherine Parsons, managing director of the Big Issue, stated, “Local government budgets are crumbling under the weight of our over-reliance on temporary housing. “These stark figures make it clear we cannot continue to rely on this sticking plaster solution when it comes to the homelessness crisis.”

A representative for the MHCLG stated, “These figures are not satisfactory. “We will build 1.5 million homes to ensure that everyone has a safe and affordable place to live.

“And as a first step to get on track to ending homelessness once and for all we’re spending £1 billion on vital services.”

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