Sadiq Khan blames government failures for rising homelessness

Temporary accommodation and homelessness spending by councils has soared to £1bn in the last eight years.

According to figures by the Local Government Association (LGA), the total amount spent by councils on temporary accommodation has soared by more than £733m since 2015/16.

Back then, councils spent around £315 million on emergency housing, but by 2023/24, this figure has risen to £1.048 billion.

The news comes after City Hall figures reveal in London more than one in five people (22%) sleeping rough for the first time had been renting privately before they became homeless.

Khan calls for end of no-fault evictions

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan blames the government’s failure to ban ‘no-fault’ evictions for the rise in homelessness.

He told Inside Housing: “Rising rough sleeping shames us all, and Tory ministers most of all. After 14 years, the rising number of people sleeping on park benches and in shop doorways in every region of the country is a stark symbol of the Conservatives’ failure in government.

“In London, I’ve quadrupled City Hall’s rough sleeping budget, investing in emergency accommodation, outreach teams and extra cold-weather support.

“However, it’s clear that much more is needed, starting with ending ‘no-fault’ evictions and fixing the chaos in the asylum system which is seeing people moved out of Home Office accommodation and onto the streets.”

According to City Hall, the number of rough sleepers in London has risen nearly 20% in a year. New rough sleepers made up 66% of all people recorded rough sleeping in London in 2023-24.

Lack of social housing

In 2015/16, councils allocated 18% of their total housing budgets to homelessness by 2023-24, this has risen sharply to 60%.

The LGA has warned that councils now spend at least £1.75 billion annually to support nearly 113,000 households in temporary accommodation due to a severe shortage of social housing.

The LGA are calling on the next government to give more power to councils as well as reforming right to buy and abolish Section 21.

Cllr Claire Holland, housing spokesperson for the LGA said: “Homelessness pressures on councils are spiralling as a larger proportion of their budgets is put towards costly temporary accommodation due to a lack of social housing.

“The way to properly resolve the issue is to address the shortage of suitable housing across the country and build up councils’ stock of social housing.

“Councils need to be given the powers and resources to build affordable homes their communities need so they can resume their historic role as a major builder of affordable homes.”

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