More than £350,000 of Boston Borough Council reserves to go towards temporary and resettlement housing
Leaders have given the green light for £350,000 of Boston Borough Council reserves to be allocated towards temporary and resettlement housing in a move expected to cut costs elsewhere.
Members of Boston Borough Council agreed that £365,000 from the authority’s capital reserves should be allocated towards securing two temporary accommodation homes to address local homelessness and one resettlement home for Afghan refugees, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Council bosses said that the temporary housing and resettlement home will help to reduce the cost of expensive hotels.
The authority has agreed to enter round four of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) and will develop a plan on how this money will be spent and identify suitable buildings for this accommodation.
At a full council meeting yesterday (Monday, July 13), portfolio holder for finance and economic growth, Coun Sandeep Ghosh (Independent – Witham) said: “Members will be aware that this is a programme that this council has supported successfully through previous rounds.
“The local authority housing fund has already enabled Boston to bring 13 homes into council ownership, helping to reduce reliance on costly and inappropriate bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation for local homeless households, while creating long-term housing assets for the authority, with all properties being available for wider temporary accommodation usage in longer term.”
The council said that bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation typically costs between £70 and £120 per night, and over the year this can add up to between £25,000-£40,000 per accommodated household.
The authority said that by using temporary accommodation and a resettlement home as opposed to hotels, the council expects to save the authority about £19,755 per property per year.
Coun Ghosh went on to say that the temporary accommodation and resettlement home will help to support vulnerable people within the borough.
He added: “By securing this funding, we will increase the number of homes available to meet local housing needs, improve outcomes for vulnerable residents and reduce ongoing revenue pressures associated with expensive emergency accommodation.”
Officials said that the council has agreed to accept £302,000 in Government funding but explained that this would not cover the full project – which totals to £667,000 – meaning that it is having to allocate £365,000 from its reserves to ensure that this scheme can go ahead.
Council leader Dale Broughton (Independent – Coastal) backed the scheme.
He said: “Affordable and temporary housing is needed in Boston – and again being asked to participate in round four shows that central Government has every confidence in Boston Borough Council to use these resources as it has in previous years.
“Boston Borough Council needs affordable and temporary housing and I totally support this motion.”
Officers have until March 2027 to find and acquire suitable properties which can be developed into temporary accommodation and a resettlement home.