Use of B&B Failing Young People and Families

In a new report, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) highlights the human impact of councils' inappropriate use of bed and breakfast to house the most vulnerable. A large family inhabiting a single room for months on end; attempted suicide; a child living in a tent for a year; and a family having to wander the streets rather than return home. These are some of the stories behind the increasing number of cases the LGO is investigating about council homelessness services – in particular in relation to families and young people. As a result the LGO is calling on local authorities, central government and policy makers, to learn from the experiences in the report and use them to drive up standards.  The LGO also proposes a series of questions that councillors could consider asking their local authorities when scrutinising the delivery of homelessness services.  Download a copy of the report from the LGO website.