Crisis 40 years in the making

New plan to tackle Greater Manchester's temporary housing issue as city mayor warns 'there is no quick fix'

- DECLAN CAREY

THE dire impact of Greater Manchester’s lack of affordable housing has been laid bare in new report – with a huge rise in families stuck in B&Bs, hostels and temporary homes.

A total of 5,649 households were living in temporary accommodation in March 2024, according to a report from Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as well as 7,679 children.

The number of people living in temporary housing has shot up by 71 per cent in Greater Manchester over the past four years, compared to 26pc in England, the report stated.

Demand for social housing in Greater Manchester outstrips supply by 260 per cent, GMCA said.

In 2022/23, there were 13,551 social lettings in Greater Manchester – half as many as 10 years ago. There were 86,595 households vying for these properties, of which 35,177 were in a priority group for social housing.

And councils in the region are facing eye-watering bills to pay for it all, with the 10 boroughs already having spent £18.6 million on temporary accommodation between January and March.

At this rate, Greater Manchester is due to splash out a combined £75m on temporary housing by the end of this year, with councils only able to recover 42 pc from the government through housing benefit subsidy – creating an annual net loss of £43m.

The crisis has only got worse since the Manchester Evening News first highlighted a worrying rise in family homelessness in 2018.

Six years on, the government and local councils are struggling to get a grip on the problem and are continuing to house vulnerable families in inappropriate accommodation.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warned that the spending figures are ‘just the tip of the iceberg’.

He said: “Our reliance on temporary accommodation has left thousands of families in a limbo that is blighting their life chances and damaging their health and wellbeing.