Housing officials in one of Wales’ most costly counties report that no homeless families are presently residing in bed and breakfast establishments.

Officials cautioned however that circumstances can shift rapidly, and B&B facilities were recently required for two people sleeping rough during the intense heat of June and July.

Councillor Sara Burch, the cabinet member within Monmouthshire County Council’s Labour and Green Party coalition, informed a scrutiny panel that the authority had accomplished its objective of decreasing reliance on bed and breakfast accommodation.

The authority had a substantial number of homeless households in bed and breakfasts which has now been reduced to a convenient figure of zero. The primary objective was to cease using bed and breakfasts for families containing children under 18, and this target has been met, with block contracts with bed and breakfasts now terminated.

From April 2023 through March 2026, the count of households placed in B&Bs declined from 94 to six. In accordance with the council’s objectives, none of these were young individuals under 18 or in the 18 to 24 age bracket.

According to a report presented to the committee, at its highest point the authority had more than 200 households occupying various forms of temporary shelter. By the conclusion of the 2025/26 fiscal year, 142 households were in temporary accommodation.

The authority has instead expanded its stock of privately rented properties available for temporary housing while also increasing the availability of social housing through housing associations.

Cllr Burch noted that beyond being more beneficial for those involved, the authority has achieved financial savings by reducing its use of costly bed and breakfasts.

The authority also concluded its use of a bed and breakfast in Chepstow when it converted the former Severn View care home in the town into a 17-bed hostel.

Cllr Sara Burch who represents Cantref on Monmouthshire County Council.

Strategic housing manager Ian Bakewell stated that there are currently zero households in bed and breakfast accommodation as things stand. The authority has maintained this position for several weeks now, though this could change. There may be individuals who cannot be placed in specific accommodation types and unexpected circumstances can arise.

Due to the severe heat, two individuals required accommodation and needed to be removed from the streets for their safety. There is also the looming risk of flooding which may necessitate accommodating people.

Presently approximately 3,000 individuals appear on the county council’s managed housing register with roughly 2,000 classified as requiring assistance.

A report for the committee indicated an emerging downward trend in homeless applications within Monmouthshire, decreasing from 495 applications in 2023/24 to 403 in 2024/25 and 341 in the financial year concluding in March.

Local authorities must assist in securing appropriate accommodation when satisfied that an applicant is homeless and qualifies for support. In 2023/24, 294 households were owed a duty. This declined to 226 and 171 respectively over the subsequent two years.

Open cases supported by the authority’s housing options team also fell to 370 by the end of March, down from 658 at the beginning of 2023/24, which Mr Bakewell stated enables staff to provide enhanced support to individuals.

The authority additionally maintains a dedicated prevention team, with the most prevalent outcome for those facing homelessness being re-housing with family or friends, occurring in 41 per cent of instances, while 30 per cent obtained access to social housing.

Legislation changes in Wales mandating landlords provide six months notice of eviction were also recognised as contributing to prevention efforts.

Nevertheless access to the private rented sector remains constrained by elevated rental costs, with 59 per cent of unsuccessful prevention attempts attributed to the expense of private renting.

The authority has deployed Welsh Government funding to boost both permanent and temporary accommodation, which it stated has proven particularly successful for acquiring properties for family use. Its current focus is on expanding one-bedroom units for single individuals.

The authority has also purchased its own accommodation, acquiring three properties with two designated for shared housing for single occupants, all situated in the county’s north as Mr Bakewell acknowledged an existing imbalance with greater temporary accommodation provision in the south.