The number of children living in temporary accommodation has reached 172,000, which is the highest since records began.

Campaigners claim this is proof that the Labour government is failing to tackle the housing crisis. Despite being in power for over a year, the UK has still not recognised the right to housing in law.

Labour contend with a growing crisis

Imagine filling Wembley Stadium with children twice. That is how many children are currently experiencing homelessness in England alone.

Jess McQuail, Director of Just Fair, a UK charity working to defend and promote economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to housing, said:

These figures are a national disgrace. Behind every statistic is a child spending nights in a B&B, travelling miles to school, or growing up without the stability of a home. This is not inevitable, it is a political choice.

Housing is a human right, recognised in international law. When over 172,000 children are denied that right, their other rights, to health, education, and family life, are undermined. Labour promised to fix the housing crisis, but these numbers show they are failing to deliver.

One in every 30 children in England is growing up without a secure and stable home, which every child has a right to.

Figures have grown significantly in recent years. In 2010, the number of children experiencing homelessness fell to under 70,000. This shows that governments can reverse the trend when the political will is there.

Throwing money away

Under both the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and the Housing Act 1996, local authorities have a duty to take steps to prevent homelessness. In England, local authorities also have a statutory duty to take steps to relieve homelessness if a household is already homeless when it approaches them for help.

Often, both of these come in the form of temporary accommodation. This can be hostels, temporary flats, supported accommodation, hotels, or bed and breakfasts.

According to the most recent figures, there are 326,000 people in temporary accommodation in England. The majority of these are families and children. This is a 17% increase on the previous year.

And, in 2022–23, 18% of households in temporary accommodation in London were there for over 5 years.

What’s more, temporary accommodation is one of the most expensive forms of accommodation. The average rent in England costs £1,375 per calendar month. Temporary accommodation, however, is known to be far more expensive.

An analysis by the Centre for Homelessness Impact showed that from April 2023 to March 2024, local authorities spent £2.29bn on temporary accommodation. This is compared to £770 million on all other types of homelessness activity. Since 2010, spending on temporary accommodation has increased by 406%. Meanwhile, there was only an increase of 145% in the number of households experiencing homelessness over the same time frame.

At the same time, Labour are failing to build much-needed social housing and losing huge amounts of money trying to buy back housing they previously sold off through Right to Buy.

The autumn budget

With both the long-awaited child poverty strategy and the Autumn Budget on the horizon, campaigners are urging Labour to heed recent recommendations from the United Nations. In its latest review of the UK, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on the UK Government to:

ensure the availability of affordable and social housing;enhance renters rights and provide greater security of tenure;address the root causes of homelessness by resourcing local authorities adequately;guaranteeing safe and adequate living conditions in temporary accommodation.

Jess McQuail added:

The Autumn Budget is a test of Labour’s priorities. Human rights must be at the heart of the child poverty strategy. Anything less will be a betrayal of all the children growing up without a safe home today.

Featured image via the Guardian/Youtube screenshot

By HG

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