Weeks after families evicted from a former RAF base declared themselves homeless, it has been revealed that Hillingdon is one of the worst London borough for families living in bed and breakfast rooms for more than six weeks.
Department for Communities and Local Government figures show a six per cent increase in new homeless cases across the capital this year.
The statistics compare the period between January and March this year to the same period last year, so do not take into account the families evicted from former military quarters at RAF Uxbridge in May. They were put up at the Travelodge in Heston and bed and breakfast accommodation in Hayes.
The figures show there were 464 families with children living in bed and breakfast rooms in London for more than six weeks, the most in Westminster at 95, then Hounslow at 75 and Tower Hamlets at 53.
Fourteen boroughs had no families at all accommodated in this way.
Hillingdon is ninth on the list with 23 families, a number which could almost double if the families in the Heston Travelodge are not rehomed in the next four weeks.
Hillingdon Council’s deputy director of housing, Neil Stubbings, said: “We understand this is a very difficult time for residents in bed and breakfast accommodation and are working with each family to explain the options available and find the best possible solution for each household.
“After Notting Hill Housing Association gave notice to tenants in former RAF Uxbridge quarters, Hillingdon started to help them straight away. So far, over half of these tenants have been moved into settled accommodation.
“We are continually reviewing the temporary and long-term accommodation available in order to better meet our residents’ needs, moving them closer to their local communities as soon as we can.”
