Government Unveils Plan to End Use of B&Bs for Children in Temporary Housing Crisis

Mace | 5th December 2025 | Politics
Council_estate_refurbishment

Government pledges to stop children living in B&B

The government has committed to ending the practice of children living in bed and breakfast accommodation under its newly published child poverty and homelessness strategy. The policy pledge arrives alongside measures to tackle inadequate temporary housing and to increase support for families living in poverty across the country.

The commitment targets unlawful placements of families with children in B&Bs beyond six weeks, a limit set under existing rules. Under the new plan local authorities with the highest numbers of such placements will receive funding and support through an eight million pound pilot programme designed to relocate affected families into suitable temporary housing or social accommodation.

Across England the number of children living in temporary accommodation has surged in recent years with the latest official data showing 169,050 children homeless in such living conditions, a record high and a twelve per cent increase over the previous year. The government’s strategy frames the end of children in B&Bs as a top priority alongside other reforms designed to reduce child poverty.

Under the plan the use of B&Bs and other emergency nightly paid accommodation is to be restricted to genuine emergencies, with families quickly moved into suitable homes. The government plans to work with local councils to speed up the transition, improve the availability of social …

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