£3.6 million cost bed-and-breakfast housing cost over three years

A West Yorkshire council spent £3.6 million over three years housing people that needed temporary accommodation in bed-and-breakfast establishments.

In all, Calderdale Council spent £8,950,134 housing people, who are vulnerable, it is required to do in temporary accommodation in the three years from 2023, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

They money has been used to temporarily house 1,944 people.

The numbers have risen slightly in each of the last three years.

Use of bead-and-breakfast properties reduced in cost last council year, 2025-26, after a £500,000 rise in the previous year.

Most of the temporary accommodation is “in house”, says the council, with only places not “in house” being the bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

In 2023-24, Calderdale Council housed 563 people temporarily, costing £561,220 for those in council leasehold properties, £797,467 in its Ryburn House complex and £1,181,360 housing people in bed-and-breakfast properties.

The following year, in 2024-25, Calderdale Council housed 690 people temporarily, costing £815,213 for those in council leasehold properties, £933,289 in its Ryburn House complex and £1,631,238 housing people in bed-and-breakfast properties.

Last year, in 2025-26, Calderdale Council housed 691 people temporarily, costing £1,184,985 for those in council leasehold properties, £968,491 in its Ryburn House complex and £876,871 housing people in bed-and-breakfast properties.

Over the three years, that adds up to £2,561,418 spent on leasehold accommodation, £2,699,247 using Ryburn House and £3,689,469 on housing people in bed-and-breakfasts.

The council said it was unable to disclose the names of the bead-and-breakfast accommodation used under terms of the FOI Act.