SOUTHEND Council is paying out £2,000 a night to keep 20 vulnerable families in bed and breakfast accommodation across the city, it has been revealed.

In a bid to cut those costs David Garston, councillor responsible for housing, has insisted the council refurbishes as many empty properties as possible to handle the rapidly increasing number of vulnerable and homeless people in need.

A total of 49 properties were refurbished and put to use last year but the issue has been flagged as having a “significant to severe” risk on the council’s corporate risk register.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Monday, David Garston, councillor responsible for housing and planning, said: “One of the risks is the increasing levels of homelessness which is something this council has battled with for some years.

“The problems are increasing.”

Speaking after the meeting Mr Garston revealed the huge costs the council faces in trying to accommodate families who find themselves suddenly homeless and said the focus is getting as many unused properties up to scratch as possible.

He said: “If we put 20 families into bed and breakfast the total bill is about £2,000 a night. It costs approximately £250,000 to refurbish 22, two-bedroom flats which means that £2,000 a night is saved on revenue.

“It’s paid back in four months and on top of that we get the rent because we get rent allowance from the Government. Instead of having an empty flat we’re using it for temporary accommodation and saving the council money.”

Some homes of the Queensway Estate have been refurbished by the council after a major project to demolish the tower blocks and build 1,700 homes collapsed.

Mr Garston added: “You do find when properties in the council sector are vacated they are not in state for a client to go in. What they have to do is clear it out and decorate it so they are out of use for weeks.

“We want to make sure these empty properties are vacant for as short a time as possible. In Quantock, after we found out Better Queensway wasn’t going to happen quickly I instructed them to take the two bedroom ones and turn them into temporary accommodation.”