Homelessness crisis in rural Yorkshire needs to be addressed
When the Prime Minister stood on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, one of the first things he promised was to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness. It is an issue that is evident across many towns and cities.
However, as the latest report from the County Councils Network shows, there is a hidden homelessness crisis in rural areas that also needs to be addressed.
The number of children and families being moved into temporary accommodation in areas like the East Riding and North Yorkshire is far higher than in cities.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council had 71 children living in temporary accommodation in the fourth quarter of 2019/20 but by the fourth quarter in 2025/26, that number had risen to 208. It had 59 households in temporary accommodation, which rose to 283 six years later.
North Yorkshire Council has seen the number of children living in temporary accommodation from 81 to 152 in the six years and the number of households living in temporary accommodation increasing by 87 per cent in the same period.
Once again it is a reminder of how issues affecting rural communities have become out of sight and out of mind. Yet the numbers clearly suggest that homelessness needs to be addressed in these parts of the country as well.
There is no reason to doubt Andy Burnham’s sincerity when it comes to tackling homelessness. However, whatever strategy the Government has must include rural parts of the region.
The first tranche of money in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme is going to major cities despite the deepening rural homelessness crisis. That suggests that rural areas are once again being overlooked. That would be a big mistake.