Islington Council buys 820 homes to tackle homelessness

Islington Council has acquired 820 properties to provide accommodation for residents facing homelessness. This initiative forms a significant part of the council's strategy to address rising demand for housing support. The majority of these properties were former council homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme, which the council has since repurchased using grant and capital funding.

In July, the council's executive committee approved a further £58 million to continue its property acquisition programme. Despite these substantial investments, the number of households in temporary accommodation has increased by 10 per cent since December 2025. Currently, one in every 60 households in Islington, including nearly 1,839 children, is awaiting either secure private accommodation or social housing. This figure, however, remains lower than the London average of one in 50 households.

Financial Savings and Operational Efficiency

The council highlights its property acquisition programme as a key component of its “spend to save” strategy. According to council claims, these buybacks have been cost-neutral due to housing benefit subsidies matching temporary accommodation rents. This approach has reportedly enabled Islington to avoid spending up to £17 million on private rental costs over the last two years. Ian Swift, Director of Housing Operations, stated at a housing scrutiny meeting on Wednesday, 2 September, that combined with other measures, such as allocating two-thirds of social lets to homeless households, the council has saved approximately £29 million from its total homelessness prevention budget over the same period.

Cllr Hannah McHugh (Labour) noted that the financial burden on the council would be "absolutely astronomical" without grant funding from the government and the Greater London Authority. This update follows a March report indicating that Islington had successfully prevented around 1,000 households from becoming homeless in a single year. The average stay in temporary accommodation within the borough is approximately 10 to 11 months, which the council states is significantly shorter than in many neighbouring areas where families may reside in temporary housing for years.

While nine London boroughs have sought Exceptional Financial Support from the government due to high homelessness expenditure, Islington reported a £750,000 underspend at the end of the fiscal year 2025/26. The council attributes this financial surplus to its prevention policies.