In the last year the number of households in temporary accommodation placed outside of Thanet has more than halved.
In September 2024 there were 318 individuals or families in temporary accommodation with 179 of those moved out of Thanet. But speaking at a Thanet council meeting this week, leader Rick Everitt said this has now reduced to 84 households placed outside of Thanet and a total of 256 in temporary accommodation.
He added: “This is housing policy making a difference to our residents lives in a fundamental way.”
Thanet council is spending £38,762,000, across the financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27 to provide up to 170 new homes for households living out of area in temporary accommodation. Almost half of these have now been purchased or are in the pipeline.
Deputy council leader Helen Whitehead, who holds the portfolio for housing, said: “In the last year we have more than halved the numbers of residents in out of area temporary accommodation, and reduced the number of Thanet households in temporary accommodation overall by 62.
“This has only been possible due to the extraordinary hard work of our housing staff, and our strategic focus on bringing residents back home to Thanet and increasing our council stock to provide permanent, genuinely affordable homes for those who need them.
“We have almost half of the 170 in house temporary accommodation properties we pledged to purchase already purchased or in the pipeline; and as our in house TA produces surplus from the first year, this strategy not only supports residents to stay in area, in high quality accommodation, but also saves a huge amount of money, which can then be used to provide further services for residents.
“I could not be more proud of the staff who have worked so hard to bring our residents home, and am incredibly pleased to have already brought half of our out of area households home, to be with their loved ones and support systems.”
The demand for temporary accommodation has increased consistently since 2012 and this is replicated on a national level. There has been a 30% increase in the number of households accepted as homeless by TDC since 2020.
The cost of temporary accommodation has also steadily increased in recent years, prompted by the shortage of affordable housing and the rising number of households finding themselves homeless. In 2023/24, the council’s general fund incurred a £1.2 million net overspend due to the costs of temporary accommodation.
Thanet council says the in-house TA scheme will result in an immediate initial annual saving of £114,000 and more than £1,000,000 per year saved by year 10.
Homes are to be let at a social rent plus service charge rate and this is covered by the Local Housing Allowance for those on housing benefits.
Rent and service charges per week will range from £115.84 for a one bed to £159.57 for a three-bed.
The council’s first in-house temporary accommodation was Foy House in Margate High Street which was completed in December 2022 and provides eight flats.
Three further temporary accommodation schemes were approved in March and November 2024.
These were for six homes in Newington Road, Ramsgate; nine homes in Star Lane at Westwood/Margate and seven in Truro Road, Ramsgate.
A change of use application has now also been submitted for proposals to renovate a new base for the RISE homelessness project and create rooms for up to eight people.
The project – which is over two phases- aims to reconfigure 38-40 Grosvenor Place, Margate to provide the permanent base for RISE, 8 bedrooms with shared kitchen, bathing and laundry facilities, plus office space for RISE staff.
The first phase will be the conversion of the single storey extension to enable the relocation of the homelessness project team.
The second phase will be the conversion and refurbishment of the remainder of the building to provide 11 self-contained flats.
If you or someone you know needs help with housing, contact:
Or call Thanet District Council’s housing team on: 01843 577277
Great work by our council
This has only been possible due to the extraordinary hard work of our housing staff
Yeah, that and the £38 million debt landed on the Council.
…except that’s not how it works, as has been explained multiple times.
Our in house temporary accommodation actually makes a surplus from the first year; and purchases for the council housing portfolio come from the Housing Revenue Account, which means that new homes are paid for via grant and current and future rents.
The Cabinet committee report says the money for buying these units comes from general fund borrowing, not the housing revenue account as it’s temporary accommodation which is a general fund cost. It’s an enormous amount of money to borrow to benefit a very small number of people. Given the forecasted surplus each year will only really be notable in future years, given the Council’s dire financial position (after TDC gets abolished) it’s primarily the current taxpayers of other districts such as Canterbury, Dover etc who will benefit rather than Thanet.
As mentioned in the first comment, those are two separate things.
Our in house temporary accommodation makes a surplus from the end of year one.
Our general accommodation purchases (which allow us to move people from temporary accommodation, and back into area) are paid for by rents.
All the best, Helen.
There are none so blind as will not see.
When you bought your house did you obtain a mortgage. If the answer was yes,then you went into debt.
Fir that £38m you get £38m of assets,at least.Also you reduce the local housing benefit bill.
So yes, it is a win win, around.
Helen couldn’t be prouder of the staff that are paid to do their job yawn. Honestly this Labour cabinet are the pits and hopefully the public will see through their sheer level of incompetence. Helen Whitehead literally blocks every person that disagree with her. The Hell this woman has inflicted on residents in Edgar rd by her decisions and this department. She will not now inflict hell on the residents of grosvenor place with her plans. Get Helen out.
You don’t appear to have been blocked?
There’s a short answer to this one; my block list is incredibly short, and only includes people who have actively abused and harassed me online for extended periods.
If you’re on that very short list, you may want to look at your behaviour, and how you treat people.
All the best,
Helen.
Interesting attitude June, if you worked somewhere doing your job are you saying you wouldn’t be pleased to receive a compliment for all that you were doing??? As for the social media stuff, wouldn’t you too block people that were being abusive, any councillor of any political persuasion shouldn’t have to put up with that, that sort or behaviour leads to dark places, just ask the families of Dr David Ames or Jo Cox…
As for the homeless, well yes, that’s a problem – what’s your answer, I’m genuinely interested in what you think and your solution; I’m hoping it’s slightly more constructive than ‘anywhere else but here’…mind you I don’t hold out much hope…