London Homelessness Accounts

Public records turned into usable accounts of London's temporary accommodation system.

What this project does

London Homelessness Accounts turns public records into usable accounts of London's temporary accommodation system.

It follows council payment files, supplier names, Supplier IDs, Companies House records, Cabinet papers and FOI requests to ask:

1. Which suppliers are councils paying?
2. Which payments are visible, redacted or routed through wider procurement vehicles?
3. What do payment files reveal that headline homelessness statistics do not?
4. What questions should councillors, journalists and researchers ask next?

London context

London boroughs spent £5.5 million per day on homelessness in 2024–25, with around £5 million of that on temporary accommodation. London boroughs overspent their homelessness budgets by at least £345 million. Seven London boroughs are on Exceptional Financial Support, the highest of any English region. LSE estimates a citywide temporary accommodation funding shortfall above £740 million.

This project applies financial-statement analysis, procurement scrutiny and going-concern thinking to that system. It follows public money through suppliers, contracts, redactions and outcomes, and publishes what it finds.

Latest publication

Ealing Temporary Accommodation Account v0.1
FY2024/25 public payments, Housing Demand suppliers and redaction patterns.

Read the Ealing account

Next publications

• Capital Letters: London's pan-borough procurement model and the affordability ceiling
• Altwood and cross-borough temporary accommodation suppliers in West London
• Ealing v0.2: Companies House, FOI responses and supplier-route updates

About the editor

London Homelessness Accounts is edited by Theo Gibson, an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. Previously a Senior Managing Consultant at Berkeley Research Group's telecoms, media and technology practice, with experience in financial analysis, valuation, litigation support in UK High Court and international arbitration proceedings, and economic analysis. Earlier roles include research analyst at Enders Analysis.

The project is published in a personal capacity. It has no client mandate, party-political affiliation or donor agenda.

Sources and downloads

• Ealing Council supplier payments over £250 Used for: FY2024/25 payment-line analysis, supplier names, Supplier IDs, Service Label, Organisation Unit, Expenditure Category and Net Amount.
• Ealing Cabinet paper, “Increasing the supply of temporary accommodation”, 11 March 2026 Used for: Madison Brook context, PRS dependency, £22k versus £40k comparison and subsidy-gap context.
• Companies House Used for: company numbers, incorporation dates, registered offices, PSC records and company status.
• London Councils homelessness briefing, December 2025 Used for: London-wide homelessness spend, temporary accommodation spend and borough overspend context.
• LSE London temporary accommodation subsidy-gap analysis, October 2025 Used for: London-wide TA subsidy shortfall context.
• Processed Ealing FY2024/25 Housing Demand dataset (available on request) Used for: supplier totals, redaction analysis and payment-category analysis.

Corrections and contact

This project uses public payment files, council papers, Companies House records, statutory homelessness data and FOI requests. Early accounts are versioned. Corrections, source documents, technical comments and tips are welcome.

[email protected]

See the contact and corrections page for the corrections log and privacy note.

Sources include Ealing Council supplier payment files, Ealing Cabinet papers, Companies House, London Councils and LSE London. Payment files show invoice-level payments and do not prove supplier profit, contract value, accommodation quality or ultimate property ownership.

Published April 2026.