Five million pounds is to be spent in Herefordshire over the next year and a half buying up properties to house people at risk of homelessness.

Herefordshire Council confirmed the plan to spend £2.5 million from its own coffers in each of the current and following financial years – in addition to a £1.5 million government grant it accepted in October to house vulnerable young people.

In the year to April, Herefordshire spent over £3.4 million on short-term accommodation for needy individuals and families, who it has a statutory duty to house, with around £3 million going on “budget hotel B&B style accommodation”.

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But faced with “an ever increasing demand and relatively limited supply”, the costs of these places “continues to rise” and can be up to £120 a night, the council said.

The county meanwhile faces “a critical shortage of social housing”, with 1,975 households on its housing waiting list, it added.

And while there are several homeless shelters, principally in Hereford, these are not available directly to the council as potential users must first go through a time-consuming application, interview and referral process.

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Having the £5 million available “will enable the council to respond quickly to opportunities to acquire and develop further stock to meet this demand, and decrease costs spent on temporary accommodation”, it said.

Meanwhile, the council’s own seasonal homeless shelter, at Venns Close car park in the city’s Symonds Street, last winter year cut rough sleeping in the county by 90 per cent – though cases have risen since its closure in May.

The council separately confirmed that it would again be offering the “emergency accommodation” to those in need between December and the end of May 2025.