Councils spending five times more housing homeless in B&Bs than a decade ago

Local authorities call for more resources to build new social homes

(AFP via Getty Images)

Councils in England are spending at least five times more on housing homeless people in bed-and-breakfasts than they were a decade ago, official figures show.

A rising number of homeless people are being placed into B&Bs because of a shortage of suitable housing, the Local Government Association (LGA) says.

Councils spent £142m housing families and homeless individuals in B&Bs in 2019-20, according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.