Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
Thousands of families exceed statutory six-week B&B limit due to housing shortages.
Conclusion
Reflecting these concerns, the homelessness code of guidance states that local authorities should use B&Bs for households with children only as a last resort, and even then, for a maximum of six weeks. However, MHCLG told us that, as at June 2024, due to the shortage of alternative options, there were almost 6,000 families being housed in a B&B, of which almost 4,000 had been there for more than six weeks.17
Government Response Summary
The government states it agrees with the recommendation (despite the item being a conclusion) and has launched the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots in January 2025, backed by £8 million, to work with local authorities to reduce the use of B&Bs for homeless families, addressing the issue of prolonged stays.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 2.2 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. 2.3 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. 2.4 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.