Council to buy houses to support homeless

Pendle Council is aiming to buy some local houses to offer temporary accommodation for people facing homelessness, rather than relying on more expensive bed-and-breakfast arrangements or rental properties.

Local councils are required by law to find temporary shelter for people with housing difficulties.

But rising rents charged by private landlords, reduced council housing options and other factors have led the authority to seek a different route.

At their latest meeting, councillors approved the purchase of several properties to increase temporary accommodation provision in areas like Nelson and Colne.

Councillors also approved the new Pendle Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2025 – 2030, which aims to ensure the council continues meeting its duties to provide suitable temporary accommodation for homeless people.

Phillip Spurr, Pendle Council's director of place, said: "As cases of homelessness have increased, the use of temporary accommodation has also increased. 

"At the same time, affordable housing has reduced as the private rented sector has become unaffordable and the availability of social housing has reduced.

"This has resulted in existing temporary accommodation becoming blocked and the only other option is often expensive bed and breakfast alternatives.

"Options were looked at and now councillors have agreed that Pendle Council purchase and renovate five two-bedroom, long-term empty properties within Pendle."

Wayne Forrest,  a housing needs manager at the council, said there had been a "notable increase" in homelessness applications and a significant part of the authority's strategy was "dedicated to the prevention of homelessness".

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