Flintshire Council urged to cut B&B use for homeless people

It follows reports that some people are being forced to live in B&Bs and other hotel accommodation for more than a year.

Figures show that Flintshire Council is currently spending more than £8m per year to provide emergency rooms for people facing homelessness.

Around 217 households were living in B&Bs or hotels in the county at the end of April 2024, an increase of 75 per cent from 124 a year earlier.

Homeless charity Shelter Cymru says councils should only use B&Bs as a last resort for short-term stays.

An independent review was recently conducted of services provided by the authority to those in need of emergency accommodation.

Conducted by housing consultants Tim Gray and Neil Morlan, it recommends officials should look to reduce reliance on B&Bs by recruiting more staff to tackle homelessness and increase the use of shared and supported housing.

Sean Bibby, Flintshire's cabinet member for housing, said a lack of one-bedroom accommodation in the area meant single adults were facing long stays in hotels.

Speaking at a meeting of backbench councillors today (Wednesday, 9 October), the Labour politician said: “The length of stays can vary, and factors will be based on people's behaviour and resilience, because it's not easy to live in hotel accommodation.

“We have good housing options for families and older people, so those households will spend less time in homeless accommodation.

“For single people under the age of 55, because we don't have the one-bed social housing, it is not uncommon for them to be in a hotel for six months plus.

“We have had people in hotel accommodation for over a year. That can be compounded by the fact that maybe they have significant barriers to being able to live independently.”

Cllr Bibby said health problems or a history of criminality were among the reasons why some people stay in B&Bs for longer.

If the number of people in need of emergency accommodation continues to rise at the current rate, the council expects spending on hotels to reach around £14.7m by the next financial year.

Meanwhile, evictions from the private rented sector and the ongoing cost of living crisis have been blamed for the wider rise in homelessness in Flintshire.

(Image: FCC)

However, Cllr Bernie Attridge (Ind) questioned why external consultants had been paid to provide solutions.

He said: “My first question is why it took a costly consultant to come into Flintshire County Council to tell us everything we already knew.

“We’ve had lots of consultants brought in on a temporary basis to tell us what's wrong, but none of them stayed long enough to sort the issues out.

“I'm dealing with a resident who’s in a hotel, and she's absolutely suicidal. She was promised she would be out of there by the end of August and is still there.”

Cllr Bibby said the review was a legal requirement and the consultants would be returning after six months to ensure measures are being introduced to reduce the use of B&Bs.

Cllr Pam Banks (Ind) said recently created one-bed apartments in the village of Mostyn had led to an increase in crime and police call outs.

She was told residents would be vetted in any area where such accommodation is built.

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Strategic finance manager Rachael Corbelli said the homelessness service was one of the "highest financial risks" to the council, with expected budget pressures of £7.5m.

She said: “B&B costs are the most expensive option when it comes to placing homeless people.

“A range of mitigating options are essential for us to be able to reduce that pressure and burden on the council itself.”

Ms Corbelli said the suggested measures to reduce spending could see the budget shortfall decrease by at least £2m.

Members of the authority's homes and environment scrutiny committee supported the proposals to achieve savings at the end of the meeting.