Tom Gordon calls on Government to “Go further and end homelessness for good”

With record numbers of households now living in temporary accommodation across England, including nearly 170,000 children, this latest Government announcement falls far short of addressing the scale of the housing crisis which many councils are struggling to manage against a backdrop of budget cuts and spiralling costs of supporting families in need of temporary accommodation. Official figures show that local authorities now face a £2.8 billion bill for temporary accommodation in 2024–25, up from £2.3 billion last year, a cost many fear is unsustainable. Meanwhile, over 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists. 

Tom Gordon Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said: 
 
“It’s heart breaking that so many families and children in Yorkshire will face this winter without a safe, warm place to call home. The Government must step up to end homelessness once and for all.  

"We are still waiting on a new homelessness strategy, which should provide more support for councils to tackle the huge rise in families in temporary accommodation. The Government must also set a statutory target for building social homes to tackle the 1.3 million households on waiting lists. 

"Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the Government to be ambitious. That includes building the social homes we need - 150,000 social homes annually - abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions and setting out a strategy to end all forms of homelessness. No more should families be forced to sleep rough and without their basic right to shelter." 

With record numbers of households now living in temporary accommodation across England, including nearly 170,000 children, this latest Government announcement falls far short of addressing the scale of the housing crisis which many councils are struggling to manage against a backdrop of budget cuts and spiralling costs of supporting families in need of temporary accommodation. Official figures show that local authorities now face a £2.8 billion bill for temporary accommodation in 2024–25, up from £2.3 billion last year, a cost many fear is unsustainable. Meanwhile, over 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists.

Tom Gordon Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said: 
 
“It’s heart breaking that so many families and children in Yorkshire will face this winter without a safe, warm place to call home. The Government must step up to end homelessness once and for all. 

"We are still waiting on a new homelessness strategy, which should provide more support for councils to tackle the huge rise in families in temporary accommodation. The Government must also set a statutory target for building social homes to tackle the 1.3 million households on waiting lists.

“Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the Government to be ambitious. That includes building the social homes we need - 150,000 social homes annually - abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions and setting out a strategy to end all forms of homelessness. No more should families be forced to sleep rough and without their basic right to shelter.”