Temporary accommodation stats standing at record high

The number of households in temporary accommodation in England has climbed to a new record high, despite a drop in families living in bed and breakfast lodgings.

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Some 131,140 households were in temporary accommodation - a form of homelessness - at the end of March, according to data published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). This is up from 117,350 a year earlier and is more than double the total a decade ago in March 2015, when it stood at 64,710.

The number of children in temporary accommodation stood at 169,050 in March, up year on year from 151,540 and also the highest since records began in 1998.

By law, bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) are meant to be used only as temporary accommodation in an emergency and for no longer than six weeks.

Some 2,300 households with children had been living in B&Bs for more than six weeks as of March 31-though this is down from 3,240 a year earlier.