Full Breakdown
London Councils Accused of Illegally Relocating Vulnerable Homeless Families Hundreds of Miles Away
6/8/2026, 12:37:28 AM
The Relocation Practice
London boroughs have placed dozens of homeless families in privately rented accommodation located 200-260 miles from the capital, often in towns such as Bolton, Blackpool and Hartlepool. The moves are arranged through firms such as Reloc8, which provide minimally furnished flats and transport families by one-way taxi, sometimes at night.
Background: Housing Crisis and Legal Obligations
The capital’s housing shortage has left more than half of England’s homeless population in London. Under the Housing Act, authorities must find accommodation “as far as reasonably practicable” within their borough; if placement occurs outside the area, the receiving authority must be formally notified. Several high-court rulings have found London councils to have acted unlawfully by bypassing these requirements.
Scale and Mechanisms
- Official data: ? 1,300 homeless households moved out of London in the year to March 2025, up from 670 in the year to March 2023.
- Contracts: Croydon council signed a £1 million deal with Reloc8; Enfield council has paid more than £894 000 to the same firm since August 2023.
- Reloc8 claims to have moved > 400 households from London, including 180 in a six-month period, and advertises a minimum of a cooker and fridge-freezer in each property.
- Croydon estimates a saving of about £5 000 per placement.
Key Actors
- Councils: Croydon, Enfield, Ealing, Redbridge, and other London boroughs.
- Relocation firm: Reloc8 (Derbyshire-based).
- Parliamentary critics: Jonathan Brash (Labour MP, Hartlepool), Grahame Morris (Labour MP, Easington), Mary Kelly Foy (Labour MP, City of Durham).
- Charities: Shelter, Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth, local Citizens Advice bureaus.
Official Statements & Responses
London Councils, representing the capital’s 32 boroughs, say most placements are to bordering counties and urge the national government to address “unsustainable” homelessness. Croydon council argues the £1 million Reloc8 contract will reduce costs and notes that staff have been required to complete cultural-competence and anti-racism training. Enfield and Ealing councils maintain that they always notify receiving authorities and deny any discrimination against non-English-speaking applicants. Reloc8 asserts that all its properties are inspected for regulatory compliance and cites “many success stories” among relocated households.
Criticism & Opposition
Housing charities and several MPs describe the practice as “inhumane,” “a disgrace,” and “pure cruelty.” They contend that councils are targeting refugees and other vulnerable groups who lack English proficiency, thereby breaching the Housing Act’s requirement to keep families as close as possible to existing support networks.
On-the-Ground Accounts
An Albanian asylum-seeker with two children was ordered by Ealing council to move from west London to County Durham, 250 miles away, after discharge from hospital. She reported severe stress and feeling uncared for. A second Albanian mother, relocated by Redbridge council to north-east England, described nightly fear, isolation, and the emotional impact on her one-year-old daughter.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Official figures record 1,300 displaced households, but charities warn the true number is higher because moves to private rentals are not captured in statistics. No central tally exists for all London councils.
Impact and Why It Matters
Families lose continuity of education, health services, and community support, while receiving towns experience sudden pressure on already scarce social-housing resources. Legal challenges continue, raising questions about compliance with national housing law and the adequacy of safeguards for vulnerable populations.
What’s Next
Appeals are pending in the high court for the Albanian cases; MPs have called for sanctions against councils that flout the Housing Act. The government faces pressure to reform funding and oversight mechanisms to prevent further out-of-area relocations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was crying because I was really stressed. I felt they didn’t care.” — Albanian woman, Ealing case
- “disgrace” — Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool
- “We’re seeing more and more councils paying a year or two in rent to a private landlord and doing it off the books,” — Leader of a northern council (unnamed)
- “Instead, some councils are paying private companies, like Reloc8, to move families up to hundreds of miles away from their local area.” — Sophie Earnshaw, solicitor, Shelter
- “It’s pure cruelty,” — Liz Wyatt, Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth
- “There was one night where a woman was screaming, maybe two metres away from my door,” — IRT, Redbridge relocation case
