16th
Aug 2023
‘London Councils’ the umbrella group of local authorities has called for the government to give individual councils cash to purchase private landlords’ properties.
The group says the government should fund additional capital investment to buy homes by increasing the already established Local Authority Housing Fund, and target homes being sold by private landlords leaving the sector.
It claims that by doing this will help combat the ever increasing homelessness crisis.
The councils recently commissioned research that found there was a seismic 41 per cent fall in numbers of private rented housing stock in London over the last few years.
The research also found that just 2.3 per cent of London listings rental prices on Rightmove which matched Local Housing Allowances for low income households to be able to afford the rent.
Obviously the lack of housing availability coupled with the cost of living crisis is a calamity for low income earners.
The capital unsurprisingly has the highest number of homeless in the country and accounts for half the country’s households having to live in temporary accommodation.
A spokesperson for London Councils says: “This is the latest evidence of the homelessness disaster unfolding in the capital. One in 50 Londoners homeless and living in temporary accommodation is an appalling statistic.
“We are especially concerned by the skyrocketing numbers of families stuck in B&Bs. Nobody wants this happening and boroughs do everything we can to support homeless families into suitable accommodation.
“However, more and more often boroughs face a total lack of other options for keeping a roof over these families’ heads.
“Homelessness pressures across the capital are fast becoming unmanageable. Ministers need to treat this as the emergency it clearly is. Much more action is needed to help low-income households avoid homelessness and to reverse the rising numbers relying on temporary accommodation.”
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