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 st...