Crawley "housing emergency": Temporary accommodation costing council millions
Crawley Borough Council's spent over £25 million on temporary accommodation over the past five years
Crawley Borough Council has spent more than £25m over the last five years providing temporary accommodation for people who ask for help.
It amounts to 9,773 applications for housing, from households totalling 18,157 people, including children.
£5.5 million was spent in the 2024 alone - following a "housing emergency" being declared in Feburary 2024.
Housing emergency "continues", says council leader
When asked about the latest figures, Council Leader Michael Jones said: “The housing emergency within Crawley continues, and this can be seen within these figures.
"It speaks to the continued unaffordability of housing for Crawley people and the impact of issues such as water neutrality which has slowed development of all housing in the town, including council housing.”
He added that housing costs was the ‘single biggest factor driving the council’s financial pressures’, especially because the government’s share of the cost, which it paid through the housing benefit subsidy, has been frozen since 2011.
This means that councils receive a capped amount, often less than the actual cost of providing temporary accommodation, creating a financial gap.
Underlying pressures "continue to grow"
Mr Jones continued “Our net spend of £5.5m in the last year is broadly on a par with the year previously through activity to maximise recovery of the housing benefit subsidy, and after securing New Burdens Funding from the government following significant lobbying.
“However the underlying pressures continue to grow, and we continue to lobby government on these issues.”