More than 30% of a council’s entire budget for this year is forecast to be spent on temporary and emergency accommodation.
Worthing Borough Council is anticipating a budget overspend of £2.115m in the first six months of this financial year because of the continuing housing crisis in the borough.
At the start of April, Worthing had the second highest number of households in temporary accommodation in the West Sussex.
However, in 2024/2025, the local authority only received £1,175 per homeless household from the government, the lowest in the county.
The average grant in West Sussex is £4,917 per household.
The council says funding from central government is based on incorrect data going back over five years.
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Since the start of the financial year, 335 households have approached the council for advice due to the risk of homelessness.
This is despite efforts to build temporary accommodation to reduce the reliance on expensive hotels and B&Bs.
The council, along with its neighbouring council Adur, has redesigned its housing services to attempt to cope with the issue.
The new design includes plans to increase the number of houses the councils own, adding 11 more homes in quarter three of 2025.
The overall figures for Worthing and Adur will be presented at the councils’ joint strategic committee meeting on Tuesday, December 9.
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