Westmorland & Furness Council's spending on temporary accommodation, with the council's Government Procurement Card (GPC) between April 2025 and August 2025 according to council documents saw the council spend £280,947.05 on credit cards for hotels and accommodation during the five month period, excluding all children's services accommodation costs paid for by the council.
This includes payments to national hotel chains such as Travelodge and Premier Inn, as well as bookings with holiday cottage providers including Sykes and Holker Estate and here in Penrith guest house operated by a recently elected town councillor.
The council claims that it paid an average rate of £73 per night for temporary accommodation during the 2024/2025 period for hotels and other short-term accommodation facilities used for purposes such as housing homeless households or individuals.
The current level of temporary accommodation spending by Westmorland and Furness Council since April 2025 using the councils credit cards is averaging around £56,000 per month (based on GPC figures excluding children's services).
In addition to card payments, the council is paying thousands a month billed via invoices for temporary accommodation including to accommodation providers here in Penrith.
The councils Government Procurement Card records analysed by Penrith.Town news as part of a look at how public money is spent by Westmorland and Furness Council and Penrith Town Council. Revealed Westmorland and Furness Council spent more than £10,000 in May 2025 for staff accommodation at a four-star executive hotel in Leeds.
In response to questions on the council spending on temporary accommodation the council said that it currently has 65 households currently being supported in temporary accommodation, excluding children's services placements.
Those placed in temporary accommodation are local households and Individuals from within the Westmorland & Furness area, The Council has emphasised that it does not utilise any temporary accommodation for resettlement schemes in Westmorland and Furness.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “At present, the Council has 62 homeless households in temporary accommodation. Of these, 49 are living in dispersed temporary accommodation, or at our council-owned hostel, with the remaining households placed in bed and breakfast accommodation.
“All Westmorland and Furness households that are currently being supported in temporary accommodation are located within the council area. Out-of-area placements are only arranged when suitable accommodation cannot be sourced locally or where a particular placement is necessary to meet the needs of the household.
“We recognise the growing need for additional temporary accommodation and the Council’s Temporary Accommodation Strategy sets out our plan to increase provision and ensure support is available for those who need it.”
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