London councils are illegally moving vulnerable families, including women fleeing abuse, hundreds of miles away to some of the poorest parts of England, a Guardian investigation has found. The number of homeless people forced out of London has doubled in the past two years, with families with children being sent to cheap properties in areas such as Bolton, Blackpool and Hartlepool.
Charities have described the practice as 'inhumane' and accused councils of targeting vulnerable refugees with little English who cannot challenge the moves. If they refuse, they are effectively forced onto the streets. An Albanian woman who fled a sex trafficking gang was unlawfully told to move from Ealing to County Durham, 260 miles away. When she raised concerns, Ealing council provided details of support organisations in Durham, North Carolina, and Durham, Ontario, rather than County Durham.
Under the Housing Act, councils must find accommodation 'so far as reasonably practical' in their borough. If outside, they must notify the other authority. However, several London councils have been found by the high court to have acted unlawfully in recent years. Housing lawyers, charities, MPs and council leaders said some were routinely flouting the law.
MPs and council leaders said the sudden arrival of dozens of families was fuelling community division in areas already struggling with social housing waits. Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool, called it a 'disgrace' and accused London councils of 'dumping of a crisis on to northern communities'. He added: 'It is ripping at the social fabric of the community I represent.'
Some London councils pay millions to intermediary companies to provide unfurnished flats hundreds of miles away, sending families in one-way taxis sometimes in the dead of night. Last year, Croydon council signed a £1m contract with Reloc8, a firm specialising in moving homeless families out of London. Enfield council has paid over £894,000 to Reloc8 since August 2023; that year, 94% of Enfield's offers to homeless families were outside London.
