Cornwall Council spending £40k a day on emergency housing

Cornwall Council spends £40,000 a day on emergency accommodation for homeless people, a meeting has been told.

The figure was revealed at a planning committee meeting where plans to install six modular units for homeless people in Penryn were approved, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillors were told there were 737 households - 1,400 people - in temporary emergency accommodation.

The number of households had increased by 37 in less than a month, they heard.

The committee heard the council could spend £7.88m this year on such accommodation costs.

The council has stated there is a housing crisis which has got worse during and since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many landlords have stopped renting to sell properties or convert them to holiday lets, and the cost of homes has continued to rise out of reach of many home-seekers.

Cornwall Council has installed temporary cabins for homeless people in an effort to cut spending on bed and breakfasts or in budget hotels.

Some cabins are at New County Hall and Old County Hall in Truro, and it is currently planning more in Camborne and Newquay, as well as near Penzance.

Conservative Olly Monk, council cabinet member for housing, said: "We believe we will need 350 to 450 modular units across Cornwall to help keep people closer to where they want to live.

"Families have to move great distances simply to get emergency accommodation and that is clearly unacceptable."

Labour councillor Kate Ewert said the "desperate need" for emergency housing was recognised.

She said the council needed to get people out of places where "they don't even have anywhere to wash their clothes" and "provide homes for people ... not really living with much dignity".

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