Stafford Borough Council has agreed to spend £675,000 on buying three homes, with two to provide temporary accommodation for people facing homelessness and the third for an Afghan family under a government resettlement scheme.
The properties will be bought using £351,300 from the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund and an additional £323,700 from the council’s own resources.
The two homes allocated to temporary accommodation will help the council meet its existing homelessness duties. The third will initially house a family under the Afghan Resettlement Programme, but will become available for the council’s wider temporary accommodation needs if the family moves on.
The locations of the properties have not been announced.
Meanwhile, Reform UK councillors in neighbouring Cannock Chase District have delayed a similar decision after requesting further information about the national resettlement scheme.
Cannock Chase District Council has been allocated £325,200 from the same government fund and is considering contributing a further £379,800 towards purchasing three homes.
As with Stafford, two would be used for temporary accommodation for people facing homelessness, while the third would be allocated to an Afghan family.
Cannock Chase decision delayed again
Members of Cannock Chase District Council delayed their decision last month so that a full review could be carried out.
The item returned to cabinet on Tuesday 15 September but was deferred again.
Councillor Mandy Bell, cabinet member for resources and corporate services, said the authority had applied for the funding under the previous Labour administration, before Reform UK took control in May.
The Afghan Resettlement Programme brings together existing routes for Afghan citizens who worked with or for the UK Government in exposed or meaningful roles, as well as other eligible people.
The schemes were closed to new applications or discontinued in 2025, although existing eligible applications continue to be processed.
Councillor Bell also highlighted a recent claim about the percentage of asylum claims that were genuine.
She told the meeting
“I recommend deferring this decision until we have further information on the Home Office validity process – our priority is the protection and safety of Cannock Chase residents.
“We have more than 30 council properties with void status. We have to consider if the £380,000 could be better spent on making good our own properties.”
Stafford Borough Council outlines temporary accommodation pressures
While Cannock Chase District Council has retained its housing stock, Stafford Borough Council transferred its properties to an external social housing provider more than 20 years ago.
Stafford currently leases 15 units of temporary accommodation from Homes Plus, comprising 12 two-bedroom and three one-bedroom properties.
These are prioritised for families with children, with the average stay lasting between 10 and 16 weeks, depending on the size of the family and any support needs.
Where leased properties are unavailable, the council relies on bed and breakfast accommodation, which it says is becoming increasingly difficult to source.
A report to Stafford Borough Council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday 17 September said
“The focus for Housing Options is always to prevent households from needing temporary accommodation.
“However, wider pressures on public services means households are presenting at crisis point, in need of temporary accommodation; since January 2026 we’ve had on average 20 households placed in bed and breakfast accommodation at the end of each month which demonstrates a requirement for additional temporary accommodation units.”
The council has previously concluded that owning and managing its own properties would be the most cost-efficient way to expand temporary accommodation.
Renovation work is due to begin this year to convert office accommodation into six units of temporary accommodation, with completion expected by March 2027.
The authority has also recently purchased a two-bedroom house, which is expected to become available for temporary accommodation this autumn.
The council says it wants to increase the number of properties it owns to meet demand from its Housing Options service.
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