The true scale of the housing crisis has been laid bare in Kirklees, as the council forks out millions for hotel accommodation with some families living in temporary homes for more than two years. This shocking insight was given at today’s (August 12) meeting of the council’s Growth and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel. There, a draft of Kirklees Council's strategy for preventing homelessness and rough sleeping until 2029 was set out, along with an update on its policy around temporary accommodation.
Demand for such provision is only going up, according to a report presented to the meeting. The number of homeless households needing temporary accommodation has risen by at least 168 per cent since 2018/19, reflecting the difficulties in sourcing affordable housing and aligning with the national trend. Read more: Young man dies in river tragedy at Yorkshire beauty spot In 2024, the council forked out £7.
2m on hotels, compared to £3.1m in 2022 but the report points out that not all of this spending was for homeless people. The report also highlights the cost of temporary accommodation as placing "significant financial pressures" on the local authority's budget.
In December 2023, it was recorded that Kirklees had around 400 households in temporary accommodation - more than neighbouring boroughs Calderdale, Wakefield, Leeds and Bradford. The meeting heard that two per cent of residents staying in temporary accommodation in Kirklees are still awaiting a home after two years. The cu.