Shipley MP takes action after “Shock” at local temporary homeless accommodation living conditions

Anna Dixon, the Member of Parliament for the Shipley constituency, has this week taken action to strongly urge a senior government civil servant to enhance support for homeless residents in her area.

During a session of the Public Accounts Committee, Ms Dixon addressed Sarah Healey, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, about the inadequate conditions in temporary housing for some individuals in Shipley.

With over 20 years of experience in health and social care, the MP expressed that she was “shocked” upon learning that numerous homeless individuals housed in a local hotel had access to only a kettle for preparing meals.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, local authorities across England spent £2.29bn on providing emergency temporary accommodation to homeless households. 

Despite this, the Labour MP shared that a local food bank in her constituency has started assembling specially designed food parcels for residents. These parcels only require the addition of boiling water due to the limited amenities available to residents.

Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee session on tackling homelessness, Anna Dixon MP said: “I was very shocked recently to learn of a hotel in the Shipley constituency that is being used for temporary accommodation.

“Our local food bank is having to put together specifically designed food parcels for residents that do not require anything more than adding boiling water. 

“These people are living with very restricted diets, so in terms of the idea that we will be able to up that to anything like a decent standard, is the truth not that we need to focus instead on

putting an end to it?

“B&B and hotel accommodation is never going to be fit for purpose, for anybody, never

mind for families.”

In response to Anna Dixon’s comments, Sarah Healey replied, “I do not think there is a quick fix here.

“I do not think local government would be using these B&Bs and hotel accommodation if they had alternative options. 

“We would like as much as possible for authorities to be able to learn from each other where people have found solutions, but fundamentally we have scarcity of supply, and local authorities are not doing this by choice because they think that it creates good outcomes—we know that it does not.”