Citilodge no longer being used to house homeless as council makes £450,000 hotel bills saving

Earlier this year, the council set up a task force to tackle the spiralling costs of using hotels across the district to provide temporary accommodation.

Work done since March is estimated to have saved the taxpayer more than £450,000.

The council’s overall annual hotel bill for providing residents with temporary accommodation topped £2m in each of the past three financial years.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act also revealed how spending on short-term hotel stays increased more than tenfold in nine years.

Simon Lightwood, MP for Wakefield and Rothwell, welcomed the council’s efforts which he said had led to a “huge reduction” in the number of people being housed at Citilodge, on Lower Warrengate.

In March last year, local residents and business owners reported issues with anti-social behaviour, drug-taking and crime linked to the hotel.

Mr Lightwood held meetings with members of the public, West Yorkshire Police and council officers at the time to hear their concerns about the situation.

He also called for the hotel to be “closed in its current form” due to the impact on those living and working nearby.

Mr Lightwood said figures for this month showed the council does not have any homeless people placed at Citilodge.

The Labour MP said: “I know that this will be welcomed by residents and local businesses alike.

“The council has a statutory duty to provide emergency housing to those who are homeless, and I know there was a lack of suitable accommodation locally.

“However, placing many extremely vulnerable people in one place created a ticking time bomb of antisocial behaviour and criminality.

“It was putting even more pressure on our local police and hugely impacting local businesses in the area.

“This is the right decision and I thank Wakefield Council for their work on this, supported by funds from our new Labour government.”

Tony Reeves, the council’s chief executive, previously said ‘huge strides’ had been made in addressing the problem in recent months.

According to a recent finance report, the council was supporting 398 people in temporary accommodation, of which 95 were in hotels, at the end of March this year.

As of mid-September, the overall number in temporary accommodation had reduced to 299, with 23 in hotels.

Mr Reeves highlighted the success last month as he gave an update to the council’s audit committee on financial risks.

He said: “We have been making decisions more quickly and solving those problems earlier.

“Staff have responded really positively and it has taken a significant financial risk away.

“We know we have got some challenges. I think we are facing those challenges appropriately.

“I am very confident that we are moving in the right direction.”

Maureen Cummings, the council’s cabinet member for communities and poverty, said: “Lack of appropriate accommodation is a national issue.

“But by working with our partners, we have reduced our use of hotel accommodation to support people that are homeless by over 80% since March.

“This has resulted in significant savings of over £450,000.

“Early intervention is key to supporting those at risk. And we are continuing to work closely with our partners to do the very best we can to support those who need it.”