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Jun 2024
Council spending on hotels and B&Bs for homeless quadruples
North Yorkshire Council has revealed plans to become less reliant on using hotels and B&Bs as temporary accommodation for homeless people due to soaring costs.
Council spending on hotels and B&Bs increased from £501,220 in 2019/20 to £2,134,491 in 2022/23 — a 400% increase.
Throughout 2023, the council was accommodating between 50 to 70 homeless households in hotels and B&Bs at any-one time.
The cost of a single £90-a-night room for one year is £32,850 alone, according to a report to be discussed next week.
The report says:
Increased reliance on hotels and B&Bs to meet duties has significant cost implications for the council and a disproportionate impact on overall spending.
Local authorities have statutory duties to the homeless, which under certain circumstances include the provision of temporary accommodation.
To reduce costs, the council wants to spend £11.6 million on providing its own temporary accommodation or to use accommodation provided by registered providers.
Harrogate and Scarborough, where most of the B&Bs and hotels used by the council are situated, will be prioritised.
The council currently has 169 temporary accommodation units across North Yorkshire that are owned and managed either by it or by registered providers.
They include 19-room Fern House in Starbeck, which the report describes as “a best practice example”, which will be replicated in Scarborough.
Each self-contained bedsit at Fern House includes en-suite bathrooms and kitchens, a 24-hour reception desk, a conference room as well as a meeting area. The report says:
To date, it has provided support for over 74 residents and acted as a stepping stone to alternative accommodation and ongoing support.
The report says there is “a clear and immediate need to increase the pool of council and registered provider-owned temporary accommodation and phase out the use of expensive B&Bs and hotels”.
It adds:
For the purpose of establishing a capital investment figure, the assumption has been made that 30 units would be provided by registered providers and 60 units would be acquired or built by the council.
The counci's ruling Conservative executive is expected to approve allocating £11.6m to provide accommodation for a minimum of 90 homeless households when it meets on Tuesday next week.
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