Faster powers requested to buy accommodation for homeless families
13/07/2026
The move will reduce the cost of hotel accommodation
Senior officers at Cherwell District Council want greater powers so they can move quickly purchasing suitable homes when they come onto the market, as they look to reduce the council’s reliance on expensive hotel accommodation for homeless households.
A report going before the Executive tomorrow recommends authorising housing officers to identify and negotiate the purchase of properties using money already approved in the council’s 2026/27 budget. Any final purchase would still require Executive approval before contracts are exchanged.
The proposal follows a £5 million capital investment agreed earlier this year to increase the supply of temporary accommodation. The council says demand for homelessness services has risen sharply since 2023, with a peak of 60 households being housed in hotels during late 2023 and early 2024. Although that number has now fallen to around 20, the council is still supporting between 70 and 75 households in temporary accommodation – around double the level seen in 2022/23.
Council officers say buying its own properties will provide more self-contained accommodation, reduce the need for costly nightly-paid hotel rooms and generate rental income. The report notes that housing benefit does not fully cover the cost of hotel accommodation, making the current approach increasingly expensive.
The report argues that the fast-moving property market means the council needs authority to make offers quickly while legal checks and surveys are carried out. Without these delegated powers, officers warn the council could miss opportunities to buy suitable homes and undermine the purpose of the funding already approved.
The council says the approach mirrors schemes already being used by other Oxfordshire authorities and is intended to provide a longer-term, more cost-effective solution to meeting growing homelessness pressures.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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