The number of children outside London who are living in temporary accommodation has soared, HuffPost UK can reveal.
Official figures show a shocking rise in some parts of the country - leading to claims that the government’s pledge to “level up” the UK is a sham.
Research by the House of Commons library shows that in Yorkshire and the Humber, the number of youngsters in temporary accommodation has increased from 735 to 2,020 this year, a jump of 175%.
In the last year alone, the numbers there grew by 38%.
Large rises over the past five years were also recorded in the north east (152%), the north west (150%), the west Midlands (118%) and the east Midlands (75%).
Smaller increases were recorded in the south of the country, while in London the number of children in temporary accommodation actually fell by 15% since 2017.
Overall, the number of children in England without a permanent home is 120,710, roughly the same number as five years ago.
The research was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, whose housing spokesperson Helen Morgan said: “These heart-breaking figures expose the hollowness of the Conservative government’s levelling up agenda.
“It’s a badge of shame for Rishi Sunak that thousands of children across the country will wake up without a permanent place to call home this Christmas.
“Many will be left living in cold overcrowded B&Bs, sharing a room with their family.
“We know that living in temporary accommodation can cause major disruption to children and permanently damage their life chances.
“Conservative ministers must focus on getting those children abandoned in temporary housing this winter a permanent place to live in 2023.”
A government spokesperson said: “No child should be without a roof over their heads.
“Councils have a duty to provide accommodation and we’ve provided them with £366 million this year to ensure they can find suitable accommodation, and we will bring forward legislation in the new year to ban Section-21 no fault evictions.
“We are also providing cost of living payments worth £1,200 to the eight million most vulnerable families to help this winter.
“Temporary accommodation is always a last resort, but a crucial safety net to ensure families have somewhere safe to stay.”
