Questions have been raised over why there has been a rise in households bearing the brunt of the Isle of Wight’s housing crisis.
There are 257 households that are homeless, in temporary or emergency accommodation, 2,656 people on the housing register and six rough sleepers, according to the council’s housing needs data, as of 31st March.
Laura Gaudion, County Hall’s director of adult social care and housing needs, faced scrutiny in the council chamber last week (Thursday 25th June) over the 257 total and how the local authority calculates rough sleeping numbers.
Cllr Michael Lilley, Liberal Democrat representative for Ryde Appley and Elmfield, asked what is behind the rise in households that are homeless or in temporary or emergency accommodation from 229 in the same month last year to 257.
He said the figure was ‘extremely important to us all’.
Ms Gaudion said:
“In relation to homelessness, it’s always challenging to try to attribute the current demand to any particular scenario. Perhaps this time round it’s more easy for us than it has previously been before.
“As a committee you may be aware that there have been a substantial number of changes affecting private rented landlords and as a result a number of landlords have chosen to exit the private rented market sector, placing their properties up for sale and in effect making their previous tenants homeless.
Article continues below this advertisement “It appears that what we’re seeing – this report and for the start of next report – is the legacy of those changes to national legislation that have encouraged local people to make a different decision in terms of their investments and whether or not they’re prepared to be landlords for the future.”
The Renters’ Rights Act, which includes the ending of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, officially became law in October 2025.
Whitehall has said it will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.
Cllr Ed Blake, leader of the Conservative group, said:
“One thing that I’ve repeatedly raised is the number of rough sleepers that get reported in our Key Performance Indicators and the methodology for calculating that.
“I would like some kind of change to be looked at in terms of how we calculate that to make it more reflective of reality.”
The member for Ventnor and St Lawrence claimed most councillors can name three or four individuals rough sleeping in their individual wards – contrasting with the council’s official data.
Ms Gaudion said:
“The way in which rough sleepers are counted is based on a national model. If we’re looking to do something different locally, we need to consider what that could be and how we could allocate sufficient resource to do that.
“Identifying and calculating the number of rough sleepers is an eyes on physical activity which is why it’s done on a single count basis.
“If we are to employ staff to specifically go out and count on a different basis that comes with a cost that currently isn’t budgeted for.
“I would happily take away an action to liaise with the team and identify if there is another way we can look to provide more real-time calculation of people who are rough sleeping on the Island instead of going with the national model that we’re tied to.”
build more houses simple as that
They are better building upwards
5 storey high max, could easily house more persons.
Nothing to do with the extortionate rents they decided they could get away with charging since Covid then?
This is because of the boom in Buy-to-Let mortgages, where the rules state a loan is granted not on one’s current income, but PROJECTED rental income of 125-145%. That meant that if a mortgage loan was £1,000, the rent would be £1450 a month.
In their ‘portfolios’…that just wasn’t enough un-earned extra income.
How did they do it? Just a 20-25% deposit on the price of a property…no extra wage income needed. That property if left un-tenanted would still increase in value over and above any savings rate they could’ve put their deposit into so they win twice, getting richer while renters go under.
But no, let’s blame the tenants right to a safe legal home shall we?
What makes the tenants rights more worthwhile than the landlords? No fault evictions are part and parcel of the “letting way of life”. Rightly or wrongly. But then when has right or wrong played a part in our modern day lifestyle?
Dont blame landlords, blame government greed
The amount of houses sitting empty and falling into disrepair is shocking. Councils have always had powers of compulsory purchase, but our idiot’s never use them…
The idiots cannot stop speeding motorists either
My guess is the majority of them are still shirking from home
on full pay.
What on earth has speeding motorists got to do with this article?
Simply all comes down to greed. Landlords only want to make money, majority don’t actually care about the tenants. Seen it too many times when houses need repairs and the landlords just evict the tenants so they don’t have to pay out.
Thatcher should never have sold off Council houses
and landlords should never have been.
Should be large organisations eg Councils or housing organisations
renting out properties – NOT BOB THE BUILDER etc
So in one comment you make disparaging remarks about the council and then in another you think they would be capable of organising, and running, a large scale operation like the council houses of old.
Bless your limited capacity for a coherent argument.
The housing crisis is getting worse under Labour. The press suggests that many of the new houses are not being allocated to locals.
That is true.
If only Britain and the U.S left all these
countries alone then the persons would not have to
flee and go elsewhere, hence the situation we are
now in.
All caused by the Councils bosses THE GOVERNMENT
If the council didn’t try to make life impossible for house builders on the island, you could soon resolve this issue. You, the council, have caused this !!
Lets blame everyone other than those that blame should be levelled at it, people who do not pay their rent, or destroy their rental property having feral children who cause mayhem in their local area and end up getting thrown out. Our council will never produce the accurate or honest statistics becuase it does not suit thier cause for sqeezing more money out of central government.
I lived in rented for many years before I became a homeowner. Some of the landlords were awful, so I moved on, but most were lovely and took pride in their property. It’s not right that people are allowed to trash them.
I thought getting rid of second home owners & taxing them off the island was going to solve this problem?