Children no longer housed in B&Bs, says council

Sehrish Darr and her daughter Aiman, 13, said they are "grateful" to have their new home

Children are no longer being housed in bed-and-breakfast (B&B) accommodation following a campaign to end the practice, a council said.

Peterborough Citizens, an alliance of schools and charities, had called on Peterborough City Council to stop placing families in B&Bs after schools said the arrangements were having "a significant impact" on pupils.

The authority said the campaign had helped drive a 73% reduction in the use of B&Bs to house homeless people since December 2024 and no children were now in such settings.

Matt Oliver, the authority's head of housing needs, told a Peterborough Citizens' meeting on Tuesday that B&Bs and hotels represent "the worst kind of emergency accommodation".

He added the council "recognises the impact" on families and has instead been placing families in self-contained housing.

The authority said that in January 2025 about 120 families were living in B&Bs and hotels, but now only single adults were living in those settings.

It added that 226 children remain in temporary accommodation overall, with 84% of families housed in self-contained units and 16% living in hostels with shared amenities.

Mr Oliver said the council's housing team was encountering about 60 cases of homelessness each week - which was "very high."

More than 50 people representing schools and charities supporting homeless people in Peterborough attended the meeting on Tuesday

Among those affected was Sehrish Darr, 40, who in November 2021 was housed with her husband and four children in two Travelodge rooms for six months after they were made homeless by an eviction.

"There were no cooking or washing facilities and we relied on takeaway food every single day. It made my husband and kids ill," Ms Darr said.

"In the Travelodge they change your room every week and sometimes we were given two rooms on different floors.

"Thinking about those six months make me cry even today.

"My kids were getting late to school every day and didn't always have clean uniforms to wear - I had to take two buses to use the launderette. It was very difficult," she added.

Ms Darr, who now works in a pharmacy, said she eventually told her daughter's, school, Thomas Deacon Academy, who she described as "very helpful."

The school worked with the council to arrange transport and later helped secure the family a permanent home.

Matt Oliver said ending the use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation to house families was a "positive" step forward

Peterborough Citizens is a alliance of people from schools, faith institutions, universities, trade unions, and community groups, who work to tackle community issues.

Ms Darr's experience was one of many raised by school representatives at the groups's meeting on Tuesday.

School representatives said parents often withhold information about being homeless "for fear of losing their children" or because they feel "shame".

They added that living in hotels disrupts the children's education, impacts their physical and mental health and puts significant financial pressure on their families.

"The school made a huge difference to us. We feel safe now. I wish I had notified them earlier. I would have been offered help quicker," Ms Darr said.

Peterborough Citizens is now calling for the council to adopt a notification protocol in which schools and GPs are informed when a child is moved into temporary accommodation, so they can offer better support.

Mr Oliver said the council was "backing this call".

"There is an all-party group trying to bring in a mandatory notification system. But until then, we are committed to asking parents at their housing assessment if we can inform the school," he said.