Eastbourne Borough Council’s leader will give evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry examining the barriers councils face in delivering affordable homes to communities.

Housing charity Shelter has invited Cllr Holt following his national campaign about the unsuitability of temporary accommodation and the costs being met by local authorities.

The campaign included a housing summit attended by 158 councils from across the country.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Council and Social Housing is investigating the challenges councils face in building and acquiring social housing at a time of rising homelessness, growing housing waiting lists and increasing use of temporary accommodation.

Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt. Photo: contributed

placeholder image — Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt. Photo: contributed

The session on Tuesday (October 27) will provide evidence to MPs examining how the government can support a new generation of council house building.

Cllr Holt will draw on a joint written submission from Eastbourne Borough Council, Lewes District Council and Hastings Borough Council, setting out the financial and practical barriers local authorities face in providing affordable homes.

The submission highlights rising temporary accommodation costs, pressure on housing budgets, constrained land supply and the need for increased investment in social housing.

Cllr Holt said: “The housing emergency in Eastbourne is not unique. Councils across the country continue to spend vast amounts of money on temporary accommodation because there simply are not enough genuinely affordable homes available for local people.

“We need a national response that matches the scale of the challenge. That means significant investment in council and social housing, reforms that help local authorities deliver new homes and stronger financial support for councils dealing with the growing pressures of homelessness.

“I welcome the opportunity to present the shared experiences of Eastbourne, Lewes and Hastings directly to Parliament and make the case for urgent action. Every family deserves the security of a safe and affordable home, and every council needs the tools and resources required to make that possible.”

Cabinet Member for Housing at Lewes District Council, Cllr Mark Slater said: “This joint submission highlights the reality facing local authorities and the barriers that continue to restrict council housebuilding.

“We welcome this Parliamentary inquiry and the opportunity to make the case for the long-term investment, funding reforms and practical support needed to deliver more social and affordable homes for current and future generations.”

The joint submission from the three councils calls for reforms to temporary accommodation funding and further measures to support council housebuilding.

Leader of Hastings Borough Council and Lead Councillor for Housing, Cllr Glenn Haffenden said: “The lack of truly affordable homes across all three authorities is causing a huge problem for us – residents are unable to move into privately rented homes which means we can’t move people off housing waiting lists so these continue to grow.

“We need a commitment from the government to longer-term funding and support so we can build more housing and provide safe and secure homes for all our residents.”

The APPG inquiry will produce recommendations for ministers and government departments on how barriers to council housebuilding can be removed and how more social homes can be delivered nationwide.