The family were housed in hotels for a total of 41 weeks, which is 35 weeks over the mandated limit, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

A homeless family have been awarded £7,000 in compensation by Waltham Forest Council after they were forced to stay in bed-and-breakfast style accommodation for nine months.

The family were housed in hotels for a total of 41 weeks, which is 35 weeks over the mandated limit.

The father, identified only as Mr X, said the unsuitable accommodation had caused a “great deal of stress, frustration and hardship,” especially for his two young daughters.

They ultimately complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, an independent mediator between residents and councils.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, the deputy leader of Waltham Forest Council and cabinet member for housing, apologised and said the council “had not met the high standards residents would expect of us”.

The council told the ombudsman about the “significant” housing shortage. The arbitrator said it recognised the issue but ruled the council was at fault nonetheless.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance states that families should not be kept in B&Bs unless there is no other option, with a limit on their stay of six weeks.

At first, the family was put up in a hotel without cooking facilities, and then a second outside the borough.

One of the young girls has special educational needs and it was “important” for her to continue attending the same school, but the ombudsman said the council did not appear to consider this.

The family was finally moved to temporary accommodation inside the borough in February 2025, almost a year on from when the family first told the council they were at risk of losing their homes.

The council blamed the delays in handling the case on “having only a skeleton staff at that time, staff illness and staff leaving”.

Earlier this week, top councillors were warned the town hall will go £31million over budget, partly as a result of soaring temporary housing costs.

£8.5m was allocated for temporary accommodation in the 2025/26 budget, but projections now show it will cost closer to £22m.

Cllr Khan said in full: “We want our residents to have access to the safe, comfortable housing they need so they can live well in Waltham Forest.

“We work hard to help anyone who approaches us at risk of being made homeless, and we are constantly looking at ways we can improve our service to offer the best support we can.

“In this case, we have not met the high standards that residents would expect of us. I apologise to the family for their experience.

“We have paid them compensation in light of these failings, and we accept all of the ombudsman’s recommendations. We will use them to improve the way we work as we continue to do all we can to make our borough a great place to live.”

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