Harlow City Council also has a policy of not placing people in temporary accommodation outside the area.
“But what we know now is that it’s next to impossible to find a property. You can’t even book a hotel room because London boroughs have banned hotel bookings.” said Swords.
A key challenge, he said, was the fact that London’s boroughs could potentially pay much higher rates for property due to the capital’s LHA levels.
For a one-bed in Harlow, the monthly LHA is £720, compared to £1,067 in Enfield.
“Each borough of London offers: [private landlords] It’s way more than we can offer,” Swords said.
He added that demand for temporary accommodation in Harlow had increased by around 20% year-on-year over the past five years.
Support for relocating households from London may also be lacking, Swords said.
“If you had a pound for every guarantee you hear from London boroughs about comprehensive support, that’s a lot of rubbish. They’re literally kicking people out of their boroughs and it’s no longer their problem. ” he said, adding that people who migrate to the region are often vulnerable.
“This is a very difficult issue filled with complete injustice,” Swords said.
Mr Swords said he understood that London’s boroughs were under homelessness and supply pressure.
“But the solution is not, ‘We’re going to throw you out on the road for an hour and leave you there,'” he said.
A London council spokesperson said: “The rise in homeless admissions outside London shows how the worsening crisis in London is having a national impact and calls for urgent action at national policy level. It is necessary.”
“Boroughs will only undertake placements outside of London as a last resort or where there are household connections in the placement area. There is a risk.
“London accounts for more than half of all households in temporary accommodation in the UK. London’s homelessness crisis will continue to spiral out of control and the impact will spread beyond London.
“There has been a sharp increase in the number of households being placed under homelessness obligations by local authorities in London, but at the same time the supply of private rented accommodation in London has plummeted by 41%. I’m seriously having a hard time finding it.
“Ministers must listen to the concerns of parliaments and act at greater pace and scale to tackle this crisis. Further steps should be taken to ensure Congress has the resources needed to help.”
UK Parliament spending on temporary accommodation rose by 9% from 2022 to 2023 to reach £1.7bn, according to the latest government data. A record number of households are living in this type of accommodation, including around 139,000 children.