Variety, the Children's Charity is pressing Andy Burnham, the man widely expected to become Britain's next prime minister, to take urgent action on what it calls an 'egregious issue' – the plight of disabled children living in unsuitable temporary accommodation. Burnham, who became Makerfield MP last month and is the only candidate to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, has already flagged housing as a priority.
Housing Crisis in Greater Manchester
In a speech at the People's History Museum, Burnham called for a major social housing building programme to reverse the loss of council houses and devolve housing powers to regional mayors. As mayor of Greater Manchester, he saw the number of homeless families in temporary accommodation surge. In November, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) reported 8,600 children in temporary accommodation, costing local councils £77.55 million a year. GMCA launched an £11.7 million plan to convert empty homes into suitable accommodation. Burnham then said: 'More than 8,000 children are among the families living in temporary accommodation in Greater Manchester and that is simply unacceptable.'
Disabled Children Overlooked
Variety's research, based on Freedom of Information requests to 296 local authorities (174 could not provide data, 31 did not respond), estimates 21,000 disabled children – one in eight children in temporary accommodation – are affected. Most accommodation lacks lifts, ramps, or accessible bathrooms. Laurence Guinness, Variety's chief executive, told the Manchester Evening News: 'We found cases where children who are wheelchair dependent were being placed in accommodation on second and third floors, without a lift. Where parents had to carry a seven-year-old up and down stairs. No wonder local authorities don't want to record this. It's shameful.'
Life-Changing Impacts
The charity documented a family in a room too small to turn a wheelchair; a child developing chronic asthma in six weeks, believed caused by poor conditions; and a 17-year-old facing abuse, harassment, and witnessing drug dealing in a block of 30 units. Guinness warns that the longer children stay, the worse their life chances and mental health. The average stay is nine months, but some exceed six years. He said: 'Being in temporary accommodation is incredibly stressful... you are homeless through no fault of your own.'
Child Deaths Linked to Temporary Accommodation
Figures from the National Child Mortality Database (April 2019 to March 2025) show temporary accommodation contributed to the vulnerability, ill health, or death of 104 children, 76 of whom were under one year old. Guinness called each death 'tragic' and urged Burnham to 'show the same courage and the same care' as in Greater Manchester.
Call for National Policy
Variety demands a national policy banning disabled children from B&Bs or hostels, imposing time limits on temporary accommodation stays, improving regulation, requiring local authorities to record data, and exempting families with disabled children from benefit caps. Some measures are in the government's child poverty and homelessness strategies. Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of the Shared Health Foundation, said homelessness minister Alison McGovern 'has moved quite quickly' but wants Burnham to accelerate progress. She said: 'I would be confident that Andy understands the scale of the problem... I would like to see him implement the strategy and be more ambitious for quicker change.'
McGovern stated earlier this year: 'It breaks my heart that B&Bs are tragically contributing to the deaths of children. We must and we are improving the whole system.' The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aims to provide stronger protections for vulnerable children.
