Government should provide ‘real support’ for North Devon’s homeless, says MP

North Devon’s MP has praised local council efforts to help the homeless but has called on the Government to do more and step up with ‘real support’.

Mr Roome was speaking following the announcement the Government was providing £9.1million in homelessness support for the South West region, but said people needed ‘long-term solutions… not just short-term fixes’.

He said according to recent figures, North Devon Council handled more homelessness approaches between January and March this year than Exeter, yet it placed fewer people into temporary accommodation during that time.

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This is because the council is actively trying to reduce the amount spent on temporary accommodation such as placing homeless families in hotels and bed and breakfasts and instead using measures such as a council tax premium on second homes to bring properties back into use and help fund local services.

Mr Roome said this was a great example of the preventative work being carried out and praised the council’s housing team, which handles hundreds of active housing cases, many very urgent, each month.

But he urged ministers to back them properly, saying “They’re doing everything they can, but they can’t do it alone… the Government must step up with real support.”

He went on: “It’s heart-breaking that families and children in North Devon will face this winter without a safe, warm place to call home.

“The Government must step up with a proper homelessness strategy, backing councils like our Liberal Democrat-run North Devon Council with the tools to cut temporary accommodation and move people on.

“Our housing team works hard on prevention, but high rents, limited one-bed supply and under-35 rules are boxing people out of options.

“We Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the Government to build the social homes we need - 150,000 social homes annually - abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions, and set out a proper long-term strategy.”

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In North Devon, reports from October show that around 2,147 North Devon households were registered with Devon Home Choice. Applicants are banded A to E by urgency.

Band A is emergency/urgent need (for example, severe medical or safety risks), Band B is high priority (serious overcrowding, significant medical need, or at risk of homelessness).

Of those in the higher-need bands of A to D, around 23% were Band B or above.

Nationally, statistics show a record number of households are now living in temporary accommodation across England, including almost 170,000 children.

Local councils face a £2.8billion bill for temporary accommodation in 2024–25, up from £2.3 billion last year.