Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s housing officers updated scrutiny members on a growing portfolio of temporary accommodation, including 12 new flats due for completion in April 2027 and a further 20 flats secured on a long lease in Tonbridge.

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee received a detailed update on 13 October 2026 on the council’s expanding temporary accommodation portfolio, as officers pressed ahead with several projects aimed at reducing the cost and improving the quality of housing for homeless residents.

What the council currently provides

According to the report presented to the committee, the council’s temporary accommodation portfolio currently consists of six self-contained flats on Tonbridge High Street (council-owned); seven self-contained studio units at Union Street, Maidstone, held on a ten-year-and-one-day lease that began on 3 June 2026; three houses on Pembury Road (council-owned), two of which operate as houses of multiple occupation providing nine units in total; and 19 flats at Bridge House, Tonbridge, held on a ten-year-and-one-day lease that began on 18 June 2025.

Officers noted that the Tonbridge High Street properties are currently being used to house singles and couples rather than families, in response to need and to reduce the risk of condensation and damp issues.

New flats and lease deals in the pipeline

A dedicated project group is overseeing the direct delivery of 12 self-contained flats for temporary accommodation at the former Blue Bell Hill car park, with completion due in April 2027. Alongside this, the report stated that a long lease option to rent 20 flats in Tonbridge has been agreed, with heads of terms agreed and an agreement for lease signed. Works on those properties are anticipated to be completed by the end of July 2027.

Separately, under the Local Authority Housing Fund, the council is required to provide four resettlement properties alongside the Blue Bell Hill development. Officers reported that work is proceeding to utilise three existing council-owned properties and one recently purchased from Clarion Housing, using Local Authority Housing Fund money only.

Repairs, Clarion arrangements and county-wide procurement

The report disclosed that an external company that had been providing repair services for council-owned temporary accommodation has now ended its interim arrangement. Officers said options for repairs are being considered, including looking at how other West Kent local authorities manage their portfolios. Repair budgets have moved to the council’s Building Repairs Reserve Expenditure Plan and a closer working relationship between Property and Housing services has been put in place.

Arrangements with Clarion Housing to use a number of their units as temporary accommodation are being revisited. The report said any future provision is likely to focus on accessible accommodation and larger properties, with numbers carefully managed to minimise impact on the wider housing register.

A Kent Housing Group project on nightly paid temporary accommodation costs and procurement has been completed, with Tonbridge & Malling represented by a senior officer. The project report recommended that Kent authorities continue to discuss minimum standards, enforcement and agreed maximum rates. An IT system to manage nightly paid accommodation availability and rates is being explored, with no commitment made at this stage, the report said.

Local Housing Company under consideration

Officers reported that meetings have been held with external legal advisers about establishing a Local Housing Company, initially to own and manage the four resettlement properties required under the Local Authority Housing Fund scheme. The report said proposals are being finalised so that officers can brief members and seek any decisions needed for implementation.

The council had not published the minutes of the meeting at the time of writing, so the committee’s decision is not yet on the public record.

Sources

Top image: illustrative, computer-generated. Illustrative AI-generated image. This is not a photograph of any Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council property or any real building associated with this story.