Background
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) has a duty to provide interim accommodation (under s188 of the Housing Act 1996) or temporary accommodation (under s193 of the Housing Act 1996) (hereafter referred to as TA) for households who approach the Council as homeless and meet the criteria set out in the Housing Act 1996 Part VII as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002.
There is a national trend in terms of increasing use of TA. Shelter have reported that local authorities in England spent £1.1 billion on TA in 2018/19 and this figure has increased by 78% over the last five years. Over the same period, the number of households accommodated in TA increased by 45%. The burden on councils and their budgets continues to increase.
The West Kent Housing and Homelessness Strategy states high demand for affordable rented accommodation from homeless households has led to increased use of temporary accommodation, with use increasing by a third since 2011 across the three authorities and costs more than doubling to £354,000 in 2014/15. The Strategy acknowledges the challenge to source an adequate supply of appropriate TA for the increasing numbers of homeless households.
The reasons for increased homelessness and consequent increase use of TA are complex. Limited supply of affordable housing options, welfare reform and high value area of TMBC combine to mean it is increasingly challenging for households to find affordable housing solutions.
The number of households in TA has increased over the last few years, from an average of 29 in 2017/18 to 67 in 2019/20 and 119 for the first half of 2020/21.
The average length of stay by current placement is 145 nights.
This Policy applies to TA provision for interim placements made under section 188 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended), and longer term placements for households accepted as homeless under section 193 of the same Act.
This Policy outlines TMBC’s approach to TA provision, including:
- Placements and prioritising households
- Accommodation costs and charging households
- TA procurement to secure provision.
This Policy has taken into account the public sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). The need to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable adults and children as required by the 2014 Care Act and section 11 of the Children’s Act 2004 has also been taken into consideration.