Nearly 500 children living in temporary accommodation across Bedford borough says senior council officer

There are nearly 500 children in temporary accommodation including eight staying in hotels, a senior Bedford Borough Council officer has said.

The council’s chief officer for assessment, application and business support, Lee Phanco, was responding to a question from a member of the public at Wednesday’s virtual Housing Committee (January 18).

The question, from Shannon Johnstone, was read out by the committee chair, councillor Colleen Atkins (Labour, Harpur): “I understand that there are 530 households in temporary accommodation at the moment.

“How many individuals make up these 530 households, and how many of them are children?” the question asked.

Mr Phanco said that the data was checked earlier in the day.

“There are 686 adults that are in temporary accommodation, and there are 497 children,” he said.

“One point I would like to make around children in temporary accommodation because that is obviously a significant concern.

“Only eight of those children are accommodated in hotels, everybody else is in self-contained accommodation.

“At the moment the longest any of the families have been in hotel accommodation is just 21 days.

“We aim to ensure that families do not spend any longer than six weeks in hotels, and normally the stay is much shorter,” he said.

“So although it is very challenging for us at the moment to find accommodation, particularly at short notice.

“The homelessness team is doing an excellent job in making sure that families aren’t kept in hotel accommodation any longer than is absolutely necessary, and no more than six weeks,” he said.