The prime minister said he’d paid back £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality, including Taylor Swift tickets and his wife’s rented clothingThe number of households in England needing help with homelessness rose by more than 10% last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.In a report out today with homelessness figures for the financial year ending in March 2024, it says “initial assessments were made for 358,370 households in England in 2023-24, up 10.4% from the previous year”. The report says:146,430 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness and therefore owed a prevention duty in 2023-24. This is a 3.1% increase from 2022-23. The increase from 2022-23 has been influenced by a 4.6% increase, to 57,340 households, in those threatened with homelessness due to the end of an assured shorthold tenancy. …178,560 households were assessed as homeless and therefore owed a relief duty in 2023-24. This is up 12.3% from 2022-23. Similar to increases in prevention duties, this also has been influenced by an 8.9% increase, to 22,160 households, in those threatened with homelessness due to the end of an assured short hold tenancy.Everyone needs a safe and secure place to live, but alarmingly the number of people being threatened with or forced into homelessness continues to surge, exposing people’s lives to trauma. Vital homelessness support services are at breaking point and many councils – spending the lion’s share of their budgets on temporary accommodation – are facing bankruptcy.Urgent action is needed. Building social housing and the promised cross-government strategy should reduce homelessness in the long-term, while the renters rights bill will help prevent homelessness among people renting privately. But a cliff-edge in homelessness funding is looming in March 2025. The government must therefore use the autumn budget to provide financial certainty for homelessness services. Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2024/oct/03/keir-starmer-angela-rayner-donations-labour-conservatives-uk-politics-news-live
Author : Andrew Sparrow
Publish date : 2024-10-03 09:33:03
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