Temporary accommodation enquiry
Case reference FOI2026/00649
Received 19 March 2026
Published 22 April 2026
Request
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information:
1. Use of temporary accommodation
For each of the following calendar years – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 – please provide:
a. The total number of temporary accommodation placements or bookings made
b. Of these, the total number of placements or bookings made with private providers
c. The total number of private providers of temporary accommodation that the council made payments to
d. The total amount paid by the council to private providers of temporary accommodation
2. Costs
For the calendar year 2025, please provide:
a. The average monthly cost of temporary accommodation per person, and please provide this separately for:
· Accommodation provided by private sector providers
· Accommodation owned or managed by the council
b. The average monthly amount charged to residents for utilities and/or service charges in private sector temporary accommodation, where these costs are charged in addition to the accommodation cost covered by the local authority.
3. Largest private providers
Please provide the following information for the three private providers that received the highest total payments from the council for temporary accommodation in 2025:
· Provider name
· Total amount paid to each provider
· The number of accommodation sites operated by each provider
· A breakdown of the types of accommodation used (for example, number of hostel placements, B&B placements, nightly paid accommodation, or other categories, where recorded)
· The average monthly charge per placement (or equivalent measure of cost) for each provider
Response
Please find the answers to your queries below:
1. Use of temporary accommodation
For each of the following calendar years – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 – please provide:
a. The total number of temporary accommodation placements or bookings made:
Please note that we do not hold data dating back to 2015. The earliest we can provide this data from is the financial year ending 2020/21, which is as follows:
|
2020-21 |
2021-22 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2024-25 |
|
90 |
118 |
134
|
126 |
98 |
b. Of these, the total number of placements or bookings made with private providers:
All were with external private providers.
c. The total number of private providers of temporary accommodation that the council made payments to:
5.
d. The total amount paid by the council to private providers of temporary accommodation:
Please note that we do not hold data dating back to 2015. The earliest we can provide this data from is the financial year ending 2019/20.
Expenditure on temporary accommodation:
2019/20 £115,568.58
2020/21 £167,100.87
2021/22 £240,179.86
2022/23 £329,936.83
2023/24 £304,307.46
2024/25 – £203,110.28
2025/26 – £146,986.86
2. Costs
For the calendar year 2025, please provide:
a. The average monthly cost of temporary accommodation per person, and please provide this separately for:
· Accommodation provided by private sector providers
Not Known.
· Accommodation owned or managed by the council
N/A.
b. The average monthly amount charged to residents for utilities and/or service charges in private sector temporary accommodation, where these costs are charged in addition to the accommodation cost covered by the local authority.
We do not pay for utility bills on behalf of residents and therefore we do not hold this information.
3. Largest private providers
Please provide the following information for the three private providers that received the highest total payments from the council for temporary accommodation in 2025:
· Provider name:
The principal suppliers are typically as follows:
Travelodge
Top Mill (Slough)
Legacy Lodgings (Slough)
London Hotel Group
Project 114 (Woking)
· Total amount paid to each provider:
Emergency accommodation is spot purchased as required and we do not have a breakdown of costs per supplier. Total emergency accommodation costs as per 1. D)
· The number of accommodation sites operated by each provider.
Unknown - There are numerous Travelodge hotels. We predominantly use two local Travelodge hotels.
· A breakdown of the types of accommodation used (for example, number of hostel placements, B&B placements, nightly paid accommodation, or other categories, where recorded).
Only type used: Nightly paid B&B including Travelodge.
· The average monthly charge per placement (or equivalent measure of cost) for each provider:
As above, we are unable to provide a breakdown of costs per supplier.
2024/25 – average per placement = £56 per night
Yours sincerely,
FOI Team
Guildford Borough Council
Documents
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