Roche to limit use of B&Bs by councils

Homelessness minister Barbara Roche has announced plans for
legislation banning councils from housing families with children in
bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.

The move follows her pledge to address the issue last year (news,
page 11, 11 December) and supports the bed and breakfast unit’s
target of reducing the number of families with children in bed and
breakfast accommodation by 2004.

Speaking at this week’s Local Government Association’s seminar on
homelessness, Roche said: “We will consult shortly on underpinning
the bed and breakfast unit’s target by making it a statutory duty.
We really want to give this target teeth.”

She added: “What we are doing is difficult. But local authorities
should not just focus on bed and breakfast accommodation; we are
interested in whole homelessness strategies.”