A London council is considering rehoming people in Yorkshire following a surge of people in emergency accommodation.
Croydon Council in south London, has seen the number of families it houses in emergency bed and breakfast accommodation rise from 61 families in 2008 to 300.
Caps to local housing allowance, benefit paid to private rented sector tenants, and job losses due to the financial crisis are thought to be behind the increase.
The council is now looking at housing people in other parts of the country where rents are cheaper and there are more homes available. The authority insists it will not attempt to move people to other areas without their consent.
Dudley Mead, cabinet member for housing, finance and asset management, said: ‘We don’t seem to be able to raise the supply of temporary accommodation. I told officers to look outside Croydon to find housing, we will take it from wherever we can.
‘At the moment we are talking about the north and some of the Yorkshire towns.’
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Source: Inside Housing