Council takes on two properties to help homeless

An extra 31 temporary accommodation places for people without homes will be created after a council approved plans to lease empty properties.

West Northamptonshire Council currently provides temporary accommodation for nearly 700 homeless residents or families.

During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the authority green-lit proposals to take on two buildings at an annual rent of £249,000 to increase its offering.

Reform UK's Laura Couse, cabinet member for adult care and public health, said the decision would help move people out of the "most unsuitable forms of temporary accommodation".

"This is not just about finances, it is about dignity, stability and providing a more appropriate living environment for people at a difficult point in their lives," she said.

The first property the council is taking on is a HMO-style property made up of 25 one-bedroom flats, at a £184,000 rent per year.

Property two, meanwhile, is made up of five two-bedroom flats and one three-bedroom flat, which will cost the council £65,000 annually in rent.

Expected maintenance costs will be about £93,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The leases will be for a minimum of 10 years and one day, although the larger HMO unit has a break clause included for halfway through the period.

This "sensible" approach, Couse added, provided it with "clear financial safeguards gives us stability and flexibility".

Labour group leader, councillor Sally Keeble, however, raised concerns about the HMO-style property, which she said could carry a risk of damage from tenants.

The council acknowledged the potentials risks but said it would ensure the management of the property was "robust" and tenants were properly supported.

Reform UK councillor, John Slope, cabinet member for finance, also defended the plan, adding that around half of those in temporary accommodation were currently in B&Bs or nightly lets.

He added that this was "the most expensive way" to house people, so taking on the properties would actually result in projected savings of around £150,000 every year.

During the meeting it was also agreed that any new leases that did not exceed 10 years could be taken by council officers, provided costs were covered in budgets.

The leasing of the properties came after the council approved two new sites in Northampton offering more than 100 modular temporary accommodation homes.

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