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Rising homelessness in Ipswich has forced the council to spend £88,810 on emergency hotel accommodation. The contract extension at the Copdock Best Western comes as local housing services struggle with "insufficient capacity."
The big picture: Ipswich Borough Council is bypassing normal contract procedures to secure hotel rooms for homeless households, highlighting growing pressure on local housing services.
Why it matters: The council has a legal duty to provide temporary accommodation for certain homeless groups under the Housing Act 1996, but is struggling to meet demand through existing arrangements.
The details:
The contract with Cameron Adventures, which operates the Best Western hotel in Copdock, will run from 17 October 2024 to 31 March 2025.
It follows two previous 12-week contracts with the hotel.
The council has waived normal market testing requirements due to "urgency and lack of providers".
Behind the scenes: Internal consultations took place between the council's procurement, finance and legal teams before the decision was approved. A Section 151 Officer reviewed the contract exemption before recommending approval.
What they're saying: The council's decision notice states there is "continued high demand for temporary accommodation and a lack of providers of this type of accommodation for homeless households."
The bottom line: The emergency contract approval suggests Ipswich's housing crisis shows no signs of easing, with the council having to take extraordinary measures to fulfil its statutory obligations to homeless residents.
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