Children in temporary accommodation inquiry launched by Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched its first inquiry of this Parliament, to examine the experiences of children and families in temporary accommodation and consider how temporary housing could be improved.

The Committee will begin its Children in Temporary Accommodation inquiry with an opening evidence session next Tuesday morning (10am, 5 November) with homelessness organisations and local authority stakeholders.

The cross-party inquiry will scrutinise issues around the quality of temporary accommodation provision and pressures on local authority finances in England. The inquiry will consider how children and families in temporary accommodation could be better supported by Government, local authorities, and accommodation providers.

Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “The housing crisis means that families are increasingly being housed in sub-standard temporary accommodation, meaning children may spend years living in places which are not suitable or adequate to grow up in.

“Growing demand for accommodation is also impacting council finances, with local authorities seeing already desperately tight budgets further stretched by ever increasing temporary housing costs.

“I hope the Committee's inquiry will bring forward practical solutions to help improve temporary accommodation and enable the Government, councils, and others, to take the steps needed to deliver stable and secure homes for families and children”.

What is temporary accommodation?

Councils have a legal duty to house homeless residents in priority need, including families with children and other vulnerable people. Initially, this is in emergency accommodation that should be for only a short time. If a council decides the household meets the criteria for longer-term help, temporary accommodation will be provided until a permanent home can be found.

Temporary housing is provided from various sources, such as in the private rented sector (including rooms in shared houses), social housing on short-term tenancies, hotels, and bed and breakfast accommodation.

Inquiry evidence sessions – begin on Tuesday 5 November, 10am

In the first evidence session of this short inquiry, the Committee will question representatives from housing and homeless organisations, including Crisis, St Mungo's, Shared Health Foundation, and CARIS Families.

The second panel of witnesses will be from local authority organisations, including District Councils Network, London Councils, and the Heads of Housing at Rochdale and Hastings councils.

Witness names to be confirmed and announced ahead of Tuesday's session.

The Committee is expected to wrap up the inquiry with questions to a Government Minister in the New Year.

Key questions for the children in temporary accommodation inquiry

The Committee inquiry's will consider:

• The impact of temporary accommodation on children's development, health and wellbeing;
• Housing quality in temporary accommodation;
• The use of B&Bs and other unsuitable temporary accommodation; and
• How the Government, local authorities, and accommodation providers could better support children and families living in temporary accommodation.

 Further information

1. According to the latest Government Department statistics in England: 151,630 dependent children live in temporary accommodation. 74,530 households in temporary accommodation include dependent children – a rise of almost 15% in the year to March 2024. The number of households in B&B with dependent children rose to 5,550 households in March 2024. Of these, 3,250 households with children had been living in a B&B for more than the statutory limit of 6 weeks
2. Local authorities have a legal duty to provide temporary accommodation to unintentionally homeless households in priority need (Housing Act 1996, Part 7; House of Commons Library, Households in temporary accommodation (England). ‘Priority need' is defined in legislation, and includes: 

• people with dependent children; 
• all 16-17-year-olds;
• 18 to 20 year-old-care leavers;
• people who are vulnerable because of old age, disability, or another reason;
• pregnant women

(Housing Act 1996, section 189; House of Commons Library, Households in temporary accommodation (England), p.8.