Bedford Borough Council has not clarified how a £5.9 million housing grant, which government guidance says forms part of a wider programme that includes Afghan resettlement, will be allocated in the borough.
The funding has been awarded through the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund Round 4 (LAHF4) programme.
Its guidance says the scheme is to “provide funding to councils to enable them to grow their own stock of good quality temporary accommodation, reducing the reliance on expensive and unsuitable nightly paid or B&B accommodation.
“The fund will also provide homes for some families arriving through the Afghan Resettlement Programme.”
A report approved by the mayor confirmed the borough expects to receive £5.9m in capital funding to acquire new properties and ease pressure on its temporary accommodation budget.
It adds that the grant funding is ring-fenced to projects that “deliver temporary accommodation for those owed homelessness duties under the terms and criteria of the funding”.
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The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council to clarify how the funding will be split and whether homes used for resettlement will later be brought into general temporary accommodation use.
A response had not been received at the time of publication.
In other areas, councils have set out how the funding will be used. In North Norfolk, for example, council papers describe plans which include homes for Afghan resettlement alongside properties for temporary accommodation.
Bedford mayor’s decision (signed 31 March 2026) states that the council will enter into an agreement with the government, committing to delivery of the programme “in accordance with the grant funding criteria”.
The council report said there are currently 912 households in temporary accommodation, with around 89 per cent placed in “expensive nightly-paid” accommodation, and there is a forecast overspend of £1.4m in the current financial year.
The earliest this decision can be implemented (if not called in by councillors for further scrutiny) is Tuesday, 14 April.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
