Bristol Council Plans £33m Purchase of 75 Homes to Cut Housing Costs
Bristol City Council aims to buy 75 homes for £33 million to reduce temporary housing costs and improve living conditions for families
Bristol, UK, Housing, Temporary Accommodation, Homelessness, Council
Bristol: The city council is gearing up to spend £33 million to buy 75 homes. This move is all about getting families out of pricey temporary housing and saving taxpayers some cash.
Right now, over 1,600 households are stuck in temporary digs, many in not-so-great but super expensive places. Some are even in hotel rooms, which isn’t ideal at all.
After a recent vote, the council is set to start this plan in April. They’re hoping that not only will this save money, but it’ll also give families a better place to live.
Louise Davidson, who’s in charge of housing delivery, mentioned that other councils have done similar things. If they buy all 75 homes, they could save up to £2.2 million a year.
Jez Sweetland, who’s working on homelessness issues, pointed out that if they don’t act, families will just stay in those expensive places. They really want to get people out of hotels and into proper homes.
There’s a bit of worry about how much it’ll cost to buy and fix up each home. Each one could run between £360,000 and £420,000, plus a fee for the property consultants. But Davidson thinks it’s worth it, saying it’s good value for what they’re getting.
Last month, the council also decided to use some of its own housing for temporary stays, which one Green councillor called a bit of a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” situation. They’ll turn up to 180 homes a year into temporary spots while they figure out longer-term solutions.
On top of that, they’re looking to set up their own temporary housing company. A full plan is expected to be presented before March next year, focusing on more affordable housing options.