Ealing Council Warns More Homeless Residents Could Be Placed Outside Borough

Key Points

• Ealing Council is proposing a new three-zone policy for placing homeless households in temporary accommodation.
• The policy could result in some households being offered accommodation more than 90 minutes from Ealing, including outside London.
• The council’s Cabinet is due to consider the policy on 7 October 2026.
• Ealing Council says demand for housing is substantially greater than the available supply, while rising rents are making accommodation harder to secure locally.
• Out-of-borough placements increased from 323 to 375 between the first and third quarters of 2025/26, according to the figures reported by EALING.NEWS.
• Zone 1 would prioritise households with particularly strong educational, medical or care-related reasons for remaining in Ealing.
• Zone 2 would prioritise certain working households, families with children facing examinations, households involving safeguarding concerns and some care-experienced young adults for accommodation within 90 minutes of Ealing.
• Households outside the first two categories could be offered accommodation anywhere, including outside London.
• The proposed system would not guarantee a property within a particular zone because availability and affordability would still determine individual offers.
• Residents would retain the right to request a review of an accommodation decision and, in certain circumstances, appeal to the County Court on a point of law.

Extra London News (ELN) October 3, 2026 – Ealing Council has warned that a growing number of homeless residents and families could be placed outside the borough as the shortage of affordable accommodation intensifies. A proposed three-zone placement policy would establish different levels of priority for temporary accommodation in Ealing, within 90 minutes of the borough, or further afield. The policy is scheduled to go before Ealing Council’s Cabinet on October 7, with the council saying that its continuing preference is to accommodate households locally where suitable housing is available.

Why could more homeless households be placed outside Ealing?

According to Leslie Bunder of EALING.NEWS, Ealing Council has attributed the pressure to a shortage of affordable housing, increasing rents and demand for accommodation that exceeds the available supply. The council already places some homeless households outside Ealing, but the proposed policy would formalise how priority is determined when suitable accommodation is scarce.

Ealing Council’s own homelessness information confirms that temporary accommodation can sometimes be provided outside the borough and even outside London when local accommodation is unavailable. The council says emergency accommodation can include different types of properties depending on household size and individual requirements.

The proposed policy therefore does not introduce the possibility of out-of-borough accommodation from scratch. Instead, it would establish a more detailed framework for deciding which households should receive priority for accommodation closer to Ealing.

The council’s position, as reported by Bunder, is that keeping every homeless household inside Ealing would not be achievable with the accommodation currently available. The authority also says that failing to secure placements could affect its ability to meet its legal responsibilities towards homeless households and families.

What do the latest placement figures show?

The figures cited by EALING.NEWS show that out-of-borough placements were already considerably higher than placements within Ealing during the reported period.

Between the first and third quarters of the 2025/26 financial year, placements inside Ealing increased from 133 to 180. During the same period, placements outside the borough rose from 323 to 375. Out-of-borough placements remained higher in each of the quarters covered by the figures.

These figures form part of the context for the proposed policy. Rather than assuming that sufficient accommodation can be found within Ealing, the council’s proposed framework sets out how available properties would be prioritised when demand is greater than supply.

The Ealing Post, reporting on the proposal on October 2, said the Cabinet was being asked to consider a three-zone system based on the distance from Ealing and the circumstances of individual households. The publication identified the third zone as potentially covering any area, including locations outside London.

How would Zone 1 work under the proposed policy?

Zone 1 would provide the highest priority for accommodation within Ealing to households with particular educational, medical or care-related circumstances.

According to the policy details reported by EALING.NEWS, one category would cover households with a child who has an Education, Health and Care Plan and attends a specialist educational setting in Ealing. Another category would cover households where someone has a severe and enduring physical condition requiring intensive specialist medical treatment that is available only in Ealing.

The zone would also include households where a member receives a significant council or NHS care package that cannot be transferred elsewhere.

However, being placed in Zone 1 would not amount to a guarantee that a household would receive accommodation within the borough.

If suitable and affordable accommodation was unavailable, the council says it would seek to make an offer as close to Ealing as possible.

The distinction is important because the proposed policy concerns priority rather than an absolute entitlement to accommodation at a particular location.

Who would receive priority under Zone 2?

Zone 2 would cover households that do not meet the more specific Zone 1 criteria but have circumstances that the council considers relevant to maintaining a connection with Ealing or nearby areas.

As reported by Leslie Bunder of EALING.NEWS, this would include households in which someone has been continuously employed for at least six months and works at least 16 hours a week. Women on maternity leave who met the employment requirements before beginning maternity leave would also be included.

Families with children approaching important examinations would also receive Zone 2 priority. The categories include children preparing for GCSEs, AS or A Levels, BTECs or equivalent qualifications.

The proposed criteria would also cover households with a child subject to a Child Protection Plan, as well as some families receiving support from Children’s Services where relocation could have a significant effect on their welfare.

Ealing care-experienced young adults aged under 25 who have an assigned personal assistant would also fall within the Zone 2 criteria.

The Ealing Post’s report similarly identifies employment, examinations, safeguarding and support for care-experienced young adults among the circumstances considered under the second zone.

Zone 2 would prioritise accommodation within 90 minutes of Ealing using public transport, but, again, the distance would not be guaranteed where suitable and affordable accommodation could not be found.

What happens to households that do not qualify for Zones 1 or 2?

Households that do not meet the criteria for either of the first two zones could be offered accommodation more than 90 minutes’ travelling time from Ealing by public transport.

The third zone would cover any area, including locations outside London.

The Ealing Post reported that the proposed criteria also identify circumstances in which moving a household outside London could be considered preferable, including cases involving risks associated with gangs, drugs or other violence. The policy also includes households that want to leave London.

The council’s argument is that accommodation further from Ealing may sometimes provide a more sustainable housing option because rents can be lower outside the borough.

According to the wording cited by EALING.NEWS, lower rents could allow some households to meet subsistence and household costs more effectively and reduce the risk of rent arrears.

That consideration is balanced in the council’s documents against potential disadvantages arising from relocation.

What risks does the council identify when households are moved away?

The council’s documents acknowledge that placing families and individuals outside Ealing can have consequences beyond the immediate provision of a roof over their heads.

The concerns identified include disruption to education, healthcare and care arrangements, as well as the loss of existing support networks. Longer journeys and additional travel costs are also identified as potential consequences, alongside the possibility of social isolation.

These considerations help explain why the proposed system differentiates between households rather than simply applying the same geographical rule to every homeless applicant.

The policy would retain case-by-case decision-making, meaning individual circumstances would continue to be considered when accommodation is offered.

The Ealing Post also reported that disabled residents, children with EHCPs, families involved with safeguarding services, care-experienced young adults and survivors of domestic abuse are among the groups identified as potentially affected by the policy and its safeguards.

Would Zone 1 or Zone 2 guarantee accommodation close to Ealing?

No. The proposed system would establish priority but would not guarantee that a suitable property would be available within the relevant geographical zone.

The council’s stated position is that its aspiration remains to place households within Ealing. Where insufficient accommodation exists, the criteria would determine which households receive priority for the limited properties available.

The Ealing Post reported that priority would operate when a suitable and affordable property became available. If such a property was unavailable, an offer could be made as close to the borough as possible.

This means a household could meet Zone 1 or Zone 2 criteria but still receive an offer outside the preferred area if no appropriate accommodation was available.

What would happen if a household rejects an accommodation offer?

The proposed policy would provide for one offer of suitable accommodation, according to the Ealing Post’s report on the draft policy. The report said that if a household unreasonably refused an offer considered suitable, the council could end its housing duty towards that household.

The policy also sets out circumstances that would not normally, by themselves, make an offer unsuitable. These include issues such as the quality of decoration or furniture, the layout or type of property, parking availability or whether the property has a garden.

The Ealing Post reported that local schooling would not normally make an offer unsuitable, although children preparing for examinations and children with special educational needs would receive specific consideration under the proposed priority system.

Bed-and-breakfast accommodation may also be considered suitable for short-term interim placements under the draft policy, including accommodation located outside the borough.

What rights would homeless residents have to challenge a placement?

Residents who believe that an accommodation decision is unsuitable would be able to request a review by Ealing Council.

According to the information reported by EALING.NEWS, if the council concludes that the resident’s case has merit following the review, another accommodation offer would be made.

If a household remains dissatisfied following the review, it may appeal to the County Court, but the appeal would be limited to a question of law rather than simply disagreement with the council’s assessment.

The reported deadline for such an appeal would be 21 days from notification of the review decision.

The Ealing Post also reported that the draft policy refers to the 2015 Supreme Court judgment in Nzolameso v Westminster City Council. That case established that councils can place homeless households outside their own area but should have a published policy explaining how such decisions are made.

When will Ealing Council consider the new policy?

The proposed policy is scheduled for consideration by Ealing Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

The council’s official meeting records list the item as the “Placement Policy for Temporary Accommodation and Private Rented Sector Offers”. The decision is listed as affecting all wards, with the decision due before Cabinet on October 7.

The official Cabinet agenda confirms that the meeting is scheduled for 5pm at the Liz Cantell Room, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing. The agenda also states that the meeting will be broadcast live on YouTube.

As of October 3, the proposal remains a matter for Cabinet consideration rather than an already confirmed policy decision. The official council record lists its decision status as “For Determination”.

What is the wider housing context behind the proposal?

Ealing Council’s existing housing information states that demand for emergency and temporary accommodation has created circumstances in which properties outside the borough may sometimes be used.

The council’s published material says temporary accommodation can include bed-and-breakfast accommodation, hostels and other forms of short-term housing. It also explicitly notes that, in some cases, the only accommodation available may be outside Ealing or outside London.

An earlier Ealing temporary accommodation policy also identified factors including increases in private rents, reduced availability of suitable properties and pressures affecting the supply of temporary accommodation.

The council’s wider Housing Strategy for 2025-30 identifies increasing genuinely affordable housing supply, preventing housing crises and supporting residents to live settled lives among its housing priorities.

The new proposal therefore sits within a longer-running housing supply problem rather than being an isolated change to homelessness procedures.

What could this development mean for Ealing’s homeless households?

For homeless residents and families, the immediate practical significance of the proposal would be a clearer set of geographical priorities when temporary accommodation in Ealing is limited.

Households with specific medical, educational or care needs could receive priority for remaining in the borough, while other groups could receive priority for accommodation within 90 minutes. Other households could face offers substantially further away, including outside London, if the proposed policy is approved and suitable accommodation is unavailable closer to Ealing.

The council’s documents also recognise that relocation can create additional pressures involving schools, healthcare, care arrangements, family and community networks and travel.

The effect on individual households would therefore depend on their circumstances, their eligibility under the proposed zones and the availability and affordability of accommodation at the time an offer is made.

For residents affected by a decision, the proposed framework retains a review process and a legal route to challenge an alleged error of law.

What is the background to Ealing’s temporary accommodation policy?

Ealing Council has long used temporary accommodation to meet homelessness duties where eligible households cannot immediately be provided with settled housing. Its published information states that temporary accommodation is intended as an emergency or short-term response while the council assesses a household’s circumstances and housing needs.

The council’s previous policy documentation also records that accommodation shortages have required some households to be placed outside Ealing and, in some cases, outside London.

The proposed 2026 framework would add a more structured geographical priority system to that existing practice. Its stated purpose is to clarify how scarce accommodation should be allocated while continuing to consider individual household circumstances.