More than 120,000 children in England are without a permanent home - with thousands set to spend this in Christmas at a B&B, according to new analysis.
There are 95,000 households living in temporary accommodation, with nearly two-thirds of those having dependent children, research by the Labour Party has revealed.
The Opposition slammed the Tories after Commons Library analysis showed that 120,710 children didn’t have a permanent home at the end of June.
Many charities and experts are concerned that the real picture will be even worse this Christmas after the Conservatives crashed the economy and failed to get a grip on inflation, Labour said.
The charity Crisis has warned that more than 300,000 individuals and families across Britain could be forced into homelessness in 2023 - a rise by almost a third from two years ago.
Homelessness has risen sharply in the 12 years since the Tories came to power, with the number of households in temporary accommodation rising 91% between mid-2010 and the end of June.
Over the same period the number of households with dependent children in temporary accommodation rose 58%.
The number of households in bed and breakfasts with dependent children rose to 2,320 in June 2022, up 66% from the same date last year.
Of the households with children in B&Bs, more than 1,000 had been in one for more than the statutory limit of six weeks. This is up 108% on June 2021 and up 52% on the previous quarter.
Shadow Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Minister Paula Barker said: “These figures are stark. It is shameful that so many children will find themselves in temporary accommodation, including B&Bs, this Christmas.
“The Tories’ self-inflicted financial crisis and their 12 years of failure on the economy means they have failed our most vulnerable children and their promises to prevent people from falling into homelessness aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.
“There are fairer choices they could have made for the families and children who need urgent action. Labour will build more affordable housing and reprioritise council housing, making social housing the second largest form of tenure once again.
“Our Renters’ Charter will make renting fairer, more secure and more affordable, including by scrapping Section 21 eviction notices and ending automatic evictions for rent arrears.”
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “Tackling homelessness is a priority which is why we’ve given councils £366 million to prevent evictions and secure new places for people to live.
“Temporary accommodation is always a last resort, however, it remains a vital safety net to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.”
