HOMELESSNESS charities have urged the government to invest in social housing after new figures showed council spending on temporary accommodation in England has nearly doubled since 2019.

Government figures revealed that councils spent £2.3 billion on temporary accommodation between April 2023 and March 2024 — up 29 per cent in the last year alone.

More than half of that — £1.34bn — went on unsuitable and expensive forms such as nightly paid accommodation or bed and breakfasts.