THE government’s failure to tackle the chronic housing shortage will mean nearly 90,000 children will spend Christmas in emergency accommodation, Labour said yesterday.

The bill for temporary shelter over the current parliament is set to reach nearly £2.8 billion according to a party analysis of government and council records set to be published today.

It found that bed & breakfast use is on the rise and claimed there has been a 260 per cent increase in the number of families with children illegally housed in such accommodation for more than six weeks.

Overall, 60,940 families, including 87,420 children, are expected to spend the festive period in emergency accommodation this year.
Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said: “It is a tragedy that tens of thousands of families will be spending their Christmas in emergency accommodation but it is also costing the taxpayer more, with local authorities set to spend billions on emergency accommodation over this parliament because of the government’s failure.”

She pinned the failure on rising housing costs and low pay coupled with ministers’ failure to “build the affordable homes we need,” all made worse by policies such as the bedroom tax.

Homeless charity Shelter chief executive Campbell Ross said the impact on children losing their home could be devastating.
“All too often at Shelter we hear from families in cramped run-down B&Bs who tell us their children are living in severe emotional distress, facing three-hour round trips to school and losing touch with their friends.

“Just one thing is all it can take to push someone into a downward spiral which can end in homelessness, and our advisers will be working tirelessly every day over Christmas to support families who desperately need our help to find a safe and stable home.”

Responding to the criticism, Tory Homelessness Minister Kris Hopkins claimed the government had increased spending on the issue, making £500 million available to the most vulnerable while retaining “strong protections to guard families against the threat of homelessness.”