Barnardo’s wants tougher B&B laws

Thousands of children will remain in temporary accommodation
despite the government’s pledge that no family will spend long
periods in B&Bs from this month, children’s charity Barnardo’s
has warned.

From this week, English local authorities can no longer place
families with children or pregnant women in private bed and
breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.

But Barnardo’s estimates that up to 9,000 families will remain in
B&Bs or other similar-style accommodation after this date
because the pledge does not cover families accommodated by local
authority social services or the National Asylum Support
Service.

The charity is calling on the government to extend the new law to
cover all families living in temporary accommodation.