Councils to buy properties to combat homelessness

The councils are looking at a variety of homes, and some of them will be new builds

Two councils are set to spend millions of pounds buying homes to house people facing homelessness.

Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils are putting aside nearly £4m for the purchases.

The councils said the cost of placing people in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation was becoming "increasingly untenable".

Ruth Hendry, cabinet member for housing at Babergh District Council, said: "Not only does placing in bed and breakfasts and hotels make no financial sense, the impact it can have on families, whose lives are already in turmoil, is unmeasurable."

Local authorities have the responsibility of finding accommodation for people at risk of homelessness.

A report in March said the the authorities supported 158 households with temporary accommodation and had been spending a combined £70,000 a month on hotels and B&Bs.

Mid Suffolk District Council said demand for temporary housing nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024 while Babergh has seen an increase of 69% in the same period.

Mid Suffolk has put aside £2m of capital funding, and it has £950,000 will come from the government's Local Authority Housing Fund, says the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Babergh has just over £1m from the same fund to spend.