THE number of homeless households staying in temporary B&B accommodation in Reading has fallen dramatically.

Reading Borough Council was spending more than £1.6m on B&Bs for homeless families just three years ago.

There are now just four families in B&B accommodation, stats from Reading Borough Council (RBC) revealed. This is down from 104 families in March 2017.

The council attributes the huge reduction, amidst introduction of the Homeless Reduction Act in April 2018, to a focus on prevention and the provision of more temporary accommodation.

Councillor John Ennis, lead member for housing, called the reduction a huge achievement.

He said: “The dramatic reduction in the number of Reading families forced to stay in Bed & Breakfast accommodation is a huge achievement.

“The council and its partners have worked extremely hard to tackle this serious problem which affected many families and was a huge cost to the council.

“Homelessness, rough sleeping and lack of affordable housing continue to be major issues in Reading and the Council is committed to tackling them in a variety of innovative ways.”

The council said a temporary housing development in Lowfield Road, Caversham Park, has helped to bring down numbers staying in B&B accommodation.

The Rent Guarantee Scheme (RGS), which matches people who need homes with landlords, has also contributed. RGS offers benefits including guaranteed rent paid directly to the landlord and up to six weeks deposit.

57 new council homes are being built in Conwy Close, Tilehurst, while £20m has been agreed to build up to 100 new homes across the borough, as part of efforts to tackle homelessness.

Cllr Ennis added: “I would encourage anyone who thinks they are at risk of being made homeless to contact the Homeless Prevention Service immediately. The sooner you contact the team the more likely they will be able to help.”

The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) requires councils to provide early support to people at risk of homelessness, regardless of whether they are a family or single person, what put them at risk, or if they have a local connection to the area.

Alok Sharma, Reading West MP, said: “The government awarded £73,694 to Reading Borough Council for 2018/19 to help it deliver its new responsibilities in respect of the HRA. Clearly, this is having a positive effect in Reading.”