Colin and Gemma Booth and their four children are among more than 100,000 families in temporary accommodation in England, the highest number in 20 years. The family was forced to leave their rented flat in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight after the landlord died, and they have since lived in two holiday chalets, a single room, and now a small two-bedroom flat without an oven.
When they began searching for a new home, they discovered rents had nearly doubled from under £500 to almost £1,000 per month. They contacted the council and were placed on the social housing waiting list. With just 24 hours to vacate their flat, they were moved into a small holiday chalet, then a single room apartment of 20 square metres, where Colin slept on the floor. During a heatwave, their baby contracted chicken pox, and Colin and two other children caught Covid.
After eight weeks, they were moved to a caravan with a leaking roof for three months, before being temporarily housed in a two-bedroom flat in Newport in October, where they remain. Colin works as a re-enablement carer, but the mental strain is evident. 'I've cried because it's just overwhelming,' he said. 'Gemma really struggles with anxiety now. There's nowhere to go.'
The housing crisis on the Isle of Wight is exacerbated by retirees, seasonal jobs, and a high number of second homes and holiday lets. Over 2,500 people are on the council's housing register, and more than £2m was spent on temporary accommodation in 2022. The council no longer owns housing, having transferred all stock to housing associations in the 1990s.
David Pugh, former council leader, says more 'creative' measures are needed. The government's levelling up bill would allow councils to double council tax on second homes left empty for more than 72 days a year, but locals argue many 'Down from London' owners avoid tax by renting out properties for at least 70 days. Pugh also criticises the scrapping of housing targets, which he says has encouraged nimbyism.
