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Temporary Accommodation: Families

Asked by Gideon AmosLiberal DemocratMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 15 September 2025UIN 73754

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has put in place a process to track the distance that families have moved when placed in temporary accommodation out of their local authority area.

Answered by Alison McGovern

The Department publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness in England, which can be found on gov.uk here. The latest quarterly data was published on 22 July 2025, covering January to March 2025.

The number of under 18s in temporary accommodation in English local authorities is included in the data (TA8), including by age on a local authority level. Councils must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household and should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities sets out the factors to be taken into account when determining the suitability of accommodation..


The latest quarterly statistics includes additional data tables on the English regions that out of area placements have been made to, by the local authority or region that they have been placed from (TA9). The data does not provide a breakdown of the number of households with children. The Department does not collect address level data that would allow the tracking of the distance households have moved


The number of households in B&B accommodation with children and resident more than six weeks is included in the data (TA1).

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