Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Strengthen MHCLG's use of HAST advisers and support local authorities to reduce B&B reliance.
Recommendation
It is unacceptable that B&B accommodation is being used routinely to house people rather than as a last resort. We are alarmed at the detrimental impact that living in B&B accommodation has on people’s lives–not least on children, whose safety and wellbeing can be profoundly compromised by such living arrangements. Homelessness legislation makes it clear that B&Bs should be used only as a last resort and MHCLG recognises that it is “seriously sub-optimal”. Any local authority with more 4 than five families in B&Bs beyond the six-week limit is required to work with MHCLG’s Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST) to implement a plan for eliminating its use of B&Bs. These plans focus on approaches such as better prevention of families going into B&Bs, improving management of the temporary accommodation B&B stock, and finding alternative procurement of temporary accommodation. Yet as at June 2024, due to the scarcity of alternative accommodation, almost 6,000 homeless families with children were being housed in B&Bs, and almost 4,000 of these families had been there for longer than the statutory maximum period of six weeks. recommendation In its Treasury Minute response, MHCLG should set out how it intends to strengthen its use of HAST advisers in supporting local authorities to reduce their use of B&B accommodation. Alongside this MHCLG should support local authorities with high rates of temporary accommodation use to plan how to reduce their reliance on it.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has launched Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots with £8 million funding for 20 local authorities to reduce B&B use. Its Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST) advisers continue to work with all local authorities, especially those with high demand.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented In January 2025, MHCLG launched the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, which was backed by £5 million to work with 20 local authorities with the highest use of bed & breakfast (B&B) accommodation for homeless families, to test innovative approaches and kickstart new initiatives to reduce the use of B&Bs. Areas were selected using the latest quarterly homelessness data from June 2024. In February 2025, MHCLG announced a further £3 million funding for 2024-25 to the pilot areas, to undertake occupancy audits of temporary accommodation, to help establish a baseline for the pilots and to identify any voids, fraud or irregular arrangements, which could free up better quality temporary accommodation units for use by households currently living in B&Bs and other forms of emergency accommodation. This takes the total funding for the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots to £8 million. Alongside the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, the department’s Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST) advisers continue to work with all local authorities, particularly focusing on local authorities that have high homelessness demand and high rates of temporary accommodation.