Council gets one-off grant to combat homelessness

A Surrey council will be given a one-off grant to buy six homes to help combat its spending on temporary accommodation for homeless families.

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) will receive almost £1.5m from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The local authority will use the cash to buy five properties for use as temporary accommodation and one as an Afghan resettlement home.

It initially hoped to spend the grant on its recently-approved temporary housing pods but this was refused by the government, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Hannah Dalton told the strategy and resources committee on Thursday: “They turned us down because they want us to invest in bricks and mortar.”

Council documents state the programme will reduce local housing pressures, provide better quality housing, and reduce emergency accommodation costs and the impact on those waiting for social housing.

It said the initiative would also provide sustainable housing for Afghan citizens on the resettlement scheme so they can “build new lives in the UK, find employment and integrate into communities”.

Following the unanimous approval of the scheme, EEBC will receive the first payment in January 2025, with three instalments spread out over two years.

The new scheme will cost the taxpayer £35,000 a year for the maintenance of the properties, but this is a decrease on the £115,000 the council was spending on the equivalent accommodation costs.

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