Local Authorities: Temporary Accommodation Costs

Baroness Thornhill Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The noble Lord is quite right to highlight the importance of attracting funding into housing. I recently attended a session in the City to encourage that, and there was a lot of interest in investing in the housing sector. We are also determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates fairly and properly, and we recognise the importance of a smooth transition out of asylum support accommodation for individuals granted refugee status. We are working with the Home Office to ensure that those individuals can successfully integrate into local communities.

[Baroness Thornhill (LD)]

My Lords, the Minister mentioned a welcome increase to the homelessness prevention grant. However, does she agree with the latest statistics from the District Councils’ Network that the Government’s new formula for allocating that grant has meant that some of the councils worst hit by homelessness will lose up to 39% of their homelessness prevention grant? Will the Minister commit to looking at those cases individually and reviewing the formula to ensure that it does not reduce for those areas experiencing the greatest challenges?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The noble Baroness referred to the homelessness prevention grant. The overall increase to that fund—the largest since the grant began—is important. It will be allocated to all local authorities in England based on their homelessness pressures. I will talk to the District Councils’ Network to see what it has found, because the grant is supposed to be allocated to meet the homelessness pressures of individual local authorities.