Deputy prime minister describes findings by group of MPs as ‘shocking’
Angela Rayner has pledged to “fix the system” after “shocking” research showed 74 child deaths are linked to poor living conditions in temporary accommodation.
Between April 1 2019 and March 31 2024, 74 children died with temporary accommodation as a contributing factor to their vulnerability, ill-health or death, analysis by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for households in temporary accommodation has found.
Of these 74 children, 58 were under the age of 1.
The analysis also found that 80 children died while living in temporary accommodation in one year, between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, although it is not clear the extent to which living standards were a factor in these cases. The figures were obtained from the National Child Mortality Database by the APPG.
The housing secretary and deputy prime minister described the findings as ”truly shocking” .
Rayner said: ”No family should ever have to endure such a tragic loss of life and be failed by the very system there to protect them.
“No child should be forced to grow up in unsafe and frankly appalling conditions and that is why we are taking urgent action to right the wrongs of the past.
“We will fix the current system that has left far too many families trapped in temporary accommodation with no end in sight and end homelessness for good by tackling the root causes and driving up housing standards.”
Rayner said the government is providing ”the largest-ever cash boost in homelessness prevention services, with nearly £1bn for councils, to stop families becoming homeless in the first place”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an additional £233m in cash for homelessness prevention in last month’s budget, taking the total planned spend to ten figures.
The report states that child deaths are more likely to occur when homelessness is combined with environmental influences including overcrowding, mould and a lack of safer sleep options like cots and Moses baskets.
Of the 3,605 child deaths in England between October 1 2023 and September 30 2024, 3% happened in provisional housing.
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There is a disproportionate number of children from deprived areas represented in the figures, with 72% of deaths affecting families living in the first and second deprivation quintiles.
Children from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are also disproportionately represented in the data, with 38% of deaths happening within non-white families, despite making up only 27% of the population.
As well as the £1bn investment to address homelessness, the government launched emergency accommodation reduction pilots in December to work with 20 local councils with the highest use of B&B accommodation for homeless families.
Dr Laura Neilson, co-secretariat at the APPG for households in temporary accommodation, said: ”Each death is a tragedy. Each death is a family ripped open. The impact of homelessness on children is profound with death being the worst of all outcomes.
“We know that if you repeatedly move a child or baby, place them in accommodation without a cot or cooking facilties and disconnect a family from support, the chance of death is increased. The result is the deaths of 74 children that, outside of temporary accommodation, would still be alive. This situation is preventable and fixable.”
Rachael Williamson, interim director of policy, communications and external affairs at the Chartered Institute of Housing said the figures are a “stark reminder of the human cost of our housing crisis.”
She said: ”Temporary accommodation is meant to provide a safety net, but for too many families, it has become a trap—unsafe, overcrowded, and unsuitable for children. These conditions exacerbate vulnerabilities and deepen inequalities.
“We urgently need enforceable standards for temporary accommodation, a significant boost in social housing supply, and a focus on early intervention to prevent homelessness. No child should lose their life because of inadequate housing. Everyone deserves to have a safe place to live, on which to build a foundation for life.”
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