ENGLAND: MP warns of homelessness crisis
The Evening Standard
27/01/05
More than 100,000 households are homeless and people are stuck in temporary accommodation, a senior Labour MP warned.
Andrew Bennett, chairman of an all party Committee of MPs which has been investigating the homelessness crisis, said tackling it should be the Government's next priority.
"It is unacceptable to have so many homeless people in our society," he said.
The MPs warn in a report of an "urgent" need for more social housing and say the right-to-buy scheme for council tenants should not be extended.
The move is necessary to stop rising numbers of homeless households in the UK.
The Committee which looks at the affairs of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions says that two years after passing the Homelessness Act 2002, the Government has made substantial progress in reducing the number of rough sleepers and families living in bed and breakfast accommodation.
However, the report says there is concern that the number of homeless households has once again risen and that local authorities are unable to house them.
The Committee heard that temporary accommodation is "silting up" and there is a severe shortage of move-on housing.
While the Homelessness Act forced local authorities to focus on the problem by obliging them to produce a homelessness strategy, the MPs found that implementation of the 2002 Act was not running smoothly.
They say guidance for local councils is sorely needed and cross agency strategic working was still lacking in many areas.