Crawley Borough Council has passed a motion to declare a housing emergency amid increasing concern about demands on temporary accommodation and building challenges posed by nutrient neutrality.

The council’s temporary accommodation costs have risen from £456,000 in 2018/19 to £5.7 million in the current financial year. This represents a 12-fold increase. The figure now accounts for one pound in every three of the council’s budget.

On the impact of temporary accommodation costs, council leader Michael Jones said: “We are quickly approaching the point that this will unavoidably impact local council services for everyone.”