Hundreds more Waltham Forest families are being housed in bed and breakfasts and hostels since 2014, according to a new report.

Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) revealed some 2,200 households were living in temporary accommodation in September last year.

The number has risen sharply since June 2014, when the figure stood at just 1,500- an increase of 45 per cent.

In the same time period, there has also been an alarming rise in the number of residents being houses in bed and breakfasts or hostels.

In June 2014, just 85 households in the borough were living in such circumstances, compared to the 289 households September last year.

In December 2015, some 337 households in Waltham Forest were living in bed and breakfasts or hostels.

Residents applying for a council home are generally placed in temporary accommodation if there is a housing shortage while their application is processed.

The Housing Act allows local authorities to pay to put residents up in a hotel or bed and breakfast while their application for homelessness is investigated.

Applicants can refuse the offer of accommodation given to them by the council, but are then required to house themselves until their paperwork is processed.

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Local Government Association (LGA) has claimed councils nationwide are now being forced to spend £2 million a day on temporary accommodation due to housing shortages.

LGA chairman, Lord Porter, said: “Funding pressures are combining with a lack of affordable housing and private sector rents rising above household incomes to increase homelessness.

“It is also leaving many councils struggling to find suitable accommodation for those in need, particularly those who are young, vulnerable, or with families.

“A renaissance in housebuilding by councils and a plan to reduce the squeeze on household incomes are both needed if we are to stand any chance of solving our housing crisis, reducing homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation, and sustainably reducing the housing benefit bill.”

A Waltham Forest council spokesman said the borough spent £31.5 million on temporary accomodation for homeless households last year alone, calling for more to be done to solve the “London-wide housing crisis”.

The local authority's spend on temporary accommodation was the second-largest in the country, with the Westminster the only council stuck with a bigger bill at £45 million.

The figure eclipsed the fees being paid by the councils of some of Britain’s biggest cities, including Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol, and was more than twice the London local authority average of £12 million.

The spokesman added: “Rising rents, a shortfall of available properties and an increasing number of evictions in the private rental sector had led to more people living in temporary accommodation, reaching its highest level in 2015/16.

“Securing safe and secure temporary accommodation for residents most in need is our top priority, and whenever possible we will place families close to their school and work.

“Supporting the availability of affordable housing for everyone’s needs is key, and we are doing all we can to deliver more homes in the borough, including council homes.

“We are taking concerted action both to minimise the number of people going into temporary accommodation, and to reduce the number of people being provided with accommodation in B&Bs and hostels.”