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Rough sleeping is “a lot more comfortable” than military exercises, a Conservative MP and former army officer has said.
In the news
Adam Holloway, MP for Gravesham, made the comments during a Westminster Hall debate on tackling street homelessness yesterday afternoon, which he led.
He also said that a rise in street homelessness was driven by immigration from Eastern Europe as many migrants preferred to sleep rough than pay for accommodation. The Guardian covers the full story.
Mr Holloway’s comments come as the Huff Post reports on a Justlife Foundation study which warns the “hidden homelessness” problem could be 10 times worse than government figures suggest.
The charity estimates there were around 51,500 households living in B&Bs in England in 2015/16, while official statistics counted just 5,870. It said the discrepancy results from government figures only record people living in “official” homeless accommodation.
Mr Holloway was not the only Tory MP making bold statements about housing yesterday.
Huw Merriman, who represents Bexhill and Battle, said in a Commons debate last night that foreign companies should be banned from large investment in UK property, according to City AM.
He said the “radical step” was needed to tackle the number of empty homes in London.
Meanwhile, Suzanne Fitzpatrick, a co-author of the 2018 Homelessness Monitor report, has written a piece in The Guardian arguing that even social housing is now unaffordable in some parts of England.
It matches up neatly with an article in City Metric from Generation Rent researcher David Adler, which calls for all factions to agree on the need for more social housing supply.
On social media
The Tai 2018 conference is continuing to generate a buzz on Twitter as it starts its second day:
#TAI18 day 2 starting with @WHQMag annual debate; today’s topic Universal Basic Income pic.twitter.com/un9qIJIShG
— Rachel Honey-Jones (@RHoneyJones)#TAI18 day 2 starting with @WHQMag annual debate; today’s topic Universal Basic Income pic.twitter.com/un9qIJIShG
— Rachel Honey-Jones (@RHoneyJones) April 25, 2018
Looking forward to @katiehowells__ and @SianThomas_ speaking on Sex for rent at #TAI18 today
— Mike Owen (@MikeOwen2390)Looking forward to @katiehowells__ and @SianThomas_ speaking on Sex for rent at #TAI18 today
— Mike Owen (@MikeOwen2390) April 25, 2018
All of the highlights from a great first day at #TAI18 t.co/own45EpHg4 pic.twitter.com/pFLDu6pcIM
— CIH Cymru (@CIHCymru)All of the highlights from a great first day at #TAI18 https://t.co/own45EpHg4 pic.twitter.com/pFLDu6pcIM
— CIH Cymru (@CIHCymru) April 25, 2018
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