Gedling Borough Council is increasing the amount of temporary accommodation it plans to buy because of a surge in the number of local families facing homelessness.
The authority says it is spending £1.1 million on the properties over the next two years.
The council previously planned to purchase six family homes but now hopes to buy more with the funding, documents say.
The plan, to be discussed in a cabinet meeting next Thursday, 13 February, reads: “Due to an increase in demand for the service, the 2025/26 allocation was to purchase six family homes; however, we are currently working on options to maximise the number of units we could purchase for this amount.”
The allocation of funds for temporary accommodation is part of the council’s three-year spending plan, to be sent to a full council meeting for final approval on Wednesday, 5 March.
The authority is taking a series of measures to tackle the rise in homeless applications over the years, council documents say.
A bowling pavilion in Arnold could be turned into a night shelter for the homeless, a council report in January revealed.
Section 21 eviction notices are the second-most common reason for homelessness in Gedling, the council report adds.
Landlords can use Section 21 to evict their tenants during a ‘periodic’ tenancy or after a fixed-term tenancy.
The waiting list for social housing applications has also increased in Gedling from 543 in October 2021 to 768 in October 2024, the January report said.
In 2023, a total of 266 people in Gedling were found homeless, according to figures from national housing charity Shelter.
This included those in bed and breakfasts, hostels, and other emergency housing.
Cllr Mike Adams (Con) said: “My group and I have challenged Gedling Borough Labour on their policy to use bed and breakfast accommodation in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Gedling Borough Council for temporary housing.
“Their bill has equated on average to around £200,000 per year.
“We have made the case on countless occasions for buying new council housing to house larger families and keep this bill down.
“They have chosen instead to carry on with their policy of utilising bed and breakfast as part of their temporary accommodation offer.
“We are glad to see this large investment, hope it is spent well, and finally goes towards family homes and represents a sound investment of over £1 million of taxpayers’ money, and we hope it is the beginning of the end for the high-cost bed and breakfast provision.”
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