Around 1,700 households are in temporary housing, according to council data from October – almost a 90% increase on the 900 households recorded in 2022, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
The number of Waltham Forest residents living in temporary housing has almost doubled in three years, leading to “significant” financial pressure.
Around 1,700 households are in temporary housing, according to council data from October – almost a 90% increase on the 900 households recorded in 2022.
“This has significant financial implications for the council and means that more and more households are living in conditions that might be detrimental to their wellbeing,” Charlie Conyers, Waltham Forest Council’s assistant director of accommodation options and allocations, said in a report published this week.
The report revealed the council is now facing a £14.4million overspend in its temporary housing budget, which it will need to rein in ahead of the coming annual budget.
In 2024/25, the council spent a total of £20.4m, which was double what it budgeted for.
The council is exploring a number of options. It is pushing for more homes to be built in the borough – having approved a new 18-storey tower in Walthamstow this week – and is even looking into moving residents into social housing outside London.
Its latest bid to save money is to alter the length of time it leases temporary accommodation from between three and five years to a minimum of ten years and a day.
Under housing regulations, councils can only claim back 90% of what they spend on renting properties if the lease is under a decade.
By extending them to ten years and a day, Waltham Forest says it will be eligible for a 100% subsidy.
Enfield, Hackney and Greenwich councils have adopted similar schemes.
Waltham Forest is not alone in its woes.
A local government report by the London School of Economics (LSE) – commissioned by London Councils, the London Housing Directors’ Group and Society of London Treasurers – revealed that temporary accommodation budgets across London are in the red by a combined total of £740m.
The equivalent of 11% of the average household’s council tax bill is now spent on temporary accommodation, which is equal to one in every nine pounds spent.
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