Council to buy homes for local families and refugees

West Suffolk Council plays to buy accommodation to help Afghan refugees as well as local families

A local authority has approved plans to spend nearly £900,000 on temporary accommodation for local families and refugees.

West Suffolk Council's cabinet unanimously approved plans to spend £887,750 on buying up to five units, with three of them to be used for refugees.

The bill will be part-funded through the third round of the government's Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF 3).

Richard O'Driscoll, cabinet member for housing, said the decision made "economic sense".

"Temporary accommodation is an important provision as it enables us to respond positively to the increasing demand for help as families and individuals find themselves facing homelessness, mainly due to the cost-of-living crisis," he explained.

"This makes sound economic sense as it reduces the council’s need for bed and breakfast, which is a more costly solution and also less positive for our residents."

The council said the move would create savings of about £140,000 in bed-and-breakfast costs, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It would also provide a 4.31% return on investment after borrowing and costs.

Potential properties have already been identified but not yet bought.

The council currently owns 52 units of temporary accommodation, which are a mix of shared and self-contained accommodation.

The LAHF 3 funding comes with certain criteria that councils must meet. In order for the money to be used to buy temporary accommodation, at least three units of resettlement accommodation must also be included in the purchase.