COUNCIL spending on temporary accommodation in England has surged to nearly £1 billion, new data suggests.

This represents a rise of more than 70 per cent in the last five years.

The £413 million increase is said to be a result of more people finding themselves homeless and private housing providers hiking their rents and charges.

Across the country, councils spent £997m on temporary accommodation in 2017-18 compared to £584m in 2012-13.

The number of households in temporary accommodation has risen by 47 per cent in the last five years, the data from the Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government also revealed.

London Councils group executive member for housing and planning Councillor Darren Rodwell called for government action and said: “These figures show how local authorities and taxpayers are being ripped off by failings in the national approach to this issue.

“It’s clear we can’t keep relying on increasingly expensive private-sector accommodation, so more must be done to boost provision of social housing.”

Some councils are spending as much as £200 per head of their population on providing accommodation for homeless households. The national average was found to be £18 per head of the population.

All 32 London boroughs were listed in the top 45 local authorities which spent the most last year – with Hackney at £208 per head of its population.

Outside of the capital, Luton was listed 17th, where £77 was spent per head, while Manchester was the highest area outside the south east, spending £30 per capita.

Greg Beales, campaign director of housing and homelessness charity Shelter, said: “Long queues of homeless families pleading with councils for help and a billion pounds spent on temporary accommodation are just some of the unwanted consequences of welfare cuts, rising rents and a failure to build social homes.

“And this bill is getting even higher as landlords charge desperate councils over the odds for some of the least suitable and worst places for homeless families to live, like emergency B&Bs.”

Housing and homelessness minister Heather Wheeler claimed that the government was “determined” to give people a roof over their heads and said it was providing more than £1.2 billion to tackle “all forms” of homelessness.