WIRRAL Council officers said it is more difficult now “than it has ever been” to keep people off the streets with people living in temporary accommodation for longer.

The local authority is currently doing a regular review of homelessness in the borough to help develop its next five year plan to manage the issue.

A report published in March 2024 said the council had received 5,636 contacts from people saying they were being made homeless, with 900 cases open at any one time, around 60 cases per officer. The number of people being placed in hotels and bed and breakfasts has doubled since 2021.

A council performance report published before an economy, regeneration and housing committee said the number of new affordable homes built was lower than in previous years as well as lower compared to other areas in the North West and England. This has led to fewer people avoiding homelessness though access to affordable housing is an issue across the country.

In response, the report said the local authority was identifying future affordable homes through registered providers, regeneration schemes, the purchase of 25 new affordable council homes and future bids for government funding. YMCA Wirral, which supports people who are homeless, told the LDRS they were not seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel with homelessness and poverty” as they prepare for the winter.

During the committing meeting held on October 14, Cllr Ewan Tomeny asked if the situation with homelessness was getting better or worse. Sheila Jacobs, who works in the local authority’s housing team, said access to affordable single accommodation was the biggest issue and “a national crisis” while they were working closely with social landlords to try and address issues.

She said social landlords were reporting the lowest amount of available housing stock and people who would usually spend three to four months in temporary housing were now there for six to eight months. This is because there’s fewer homes available for people to move into.

Ms Jacobs added: “It’s probably more difficult now to accommodate people and to relieve the homeless than it has ever been.” Council officers during the meeting said they were working with social landlords to provide affordable housing on brownfield sites in the borough as part of wider regeneration plans.

When asking councillors to approve the recommendations, chair Cllr Tony Jones said he wanted to remind councillors “we are dealing with people here, we are not dealing with commodities.”

Councillors are required to review their homeless plans every five years. However the council said the current review is needed because “the homeless landscape, locally and nationally, has shifted significantly because of various global influences but, most particularly, following the pandemic.

“The review will therefore ensure the availability of up-to-date, reliable information and data which is central to informing commissioning activity. It will also ensure that the Council has a good understanding of the local housing market, the current and future demand for homeless services and needs of its customers, to deliver effective services that meet their needs.”

At the moment, the council currently commissions 130 hostel beds, 151 beds in supported housing, 64 semi-independent accommodation and floating support for 150 people. These support homeless people as young as 16, teenage parents and women fleeing domestic abuse.

The current budget for homeless services is £2.8m with 13 contracts costing between £51,000 and £466,000. The plan published by the council is estimated to cost £5.7m over two years.

During the meeting, councillors also supported the allocation of about £8m into the Wirral Waters freeport area. Peel Waters are about to submit a business case to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for the investment.