Four out of five households desperate for a council home in Canterbury are living in temporary accommodation outside of the district - some of them up to an hour away.

Families and individuals are being housed in hostels and bed-and-breakfasts as far away as Medway while the city council looks to find them permanent homes.

At a policy and resources meeting in April, head of housing and community services Marie Royle revealed that more than 80% of the those currently in temporary housing have been uprooted from the district.

“We’ve got 133 households in temporary accommodation at the minute,” she said. “Of those, 107 are out of district and 26 households are within district.”

While the council aims to place families within the Canterbury area, it is allowed to house them elsewhere so long as they are within a 60-minute travelling distance.

But as Barton ward councillor Steven Williams pointed out, this could technically see families relocated as far as the capital.

“We seem to give ourselves a lot of leeway,” he said. “The question is how far do we go? In 60 minutes on a high-speed train, you can be in north London.”

Ms Royle said families are being placed in Dover, Folkestone, Maidstone and Medway - wherever the council can find accommodation.

“The biggest issue is supply,” she explained. “Because property prices and rents are so high within the district, the supply of temporary accommodation within the district is limited.

“We have our own stock that’s used as temporary accommodation. We’re also going to be using a significant part of Parham Road as temporary accommodation, so that will provide an additional 20 units.”

She said the council has also approved a budget for acquiring more temporary accommodation. “As a pilot project, we’re looking at procuring 10 units in the next 12 months - then evaluating that,” she said.

“We recognise how hard it is for families when they’re placed out of district, but the biggest issue is supply and we’re trying to tackle that through various routes.”

Cllr Alan Baldock also voiced concerns over the way in which families are dealt with while in interim housing.

He said: “Some families can be in temporary accommodation for much more than a year. These people are often desperate - their whole world has caved in and they need some time and some space to get out of this problem.”

'The intangible costs of people being uprooted from their place of work, their children’s schools, their support networks - those are immense' - Cllr Simon Cook

Council leader Simon Cook agreed the number of families being moved outside the district should be “kept to an absolute minimum”.

He said: “This is why it was in this year’s budget to buy temporary accommodation in the district - so we don’t have to source it outside. It offers cost savings to the council, but there’s a massive moral issue here as well.

“The intangible costs of people being uprooted from their place of work, their children’s schools, their support networks - those are immense, and it is absolutely a moral duty on this council to keep within the district so far as humanly possible.”

Homelessness charity Porchlight has condemned the number of households living outside of the district.

'Parents may have to give up their job or take on lower-paying work, making it more difficult for them to return to their home area' - Chris Thomas, Porchlight

Spokesman Chris Thomas said: “Families need stability, not the chaos of having to uproot their lives.

“Sadly, displacing families from their home areas all too common, particularly in places where the cost of living is high.

“We understand the urgent need to find housing for families but forcing them to relocate many miles away often exacerbates the problems they are facing.

“Parents may have to give up their job or take on lower-paying work, making it more difficult for them to return to their home area. Children’s education is massively disrupted. And most significantly, the family is moved away from its support network of friends and loved ones.

“The lack of affordable housing and rising private sector rents mean that overstretched councils are struggling to provide the accommodation that homeless families need. The government must make proper, long-term investment into increasing the country’s social housing supply so that families can stay within the communities they have spent years making their home.”

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