Temporary accommodation, sadly, in 2024 means something very different. And not so temporary.

I don’t often stray to bible references, but it feels appropriate with my son’s Nativity tonight.

Whatever your beliefs, I think we’re all agreed that the story of the birth of Jesus involves his temporary accommodation – a manger for a bed and so on. Temporary accommodation, sadly, in 2024 means something very different. And not so temporary.

One child in every 21 in London is living in temporary accommodation. The equivalent to one child in every classroom.

Its a shocking reality and quite a surprise to many. This morning we heard from Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of the London Borough of Lambeth, at the last of our Breakfast Waffles for the year.

One in every family living in temporary accommodation in the UK resides in Lambeth meaning arguably nowhere in the country is the housing crisis more acute. And yet Claire delivered a passionate speech on how, amidst a housing crisis, we can hope to deliver homes and the pace of change that’s needed to allow inclusive growth for London.

With the Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published today we should all be thinking Yes to homes In My Back Yard. Homes that might be tall and perhaps not always only retrofitted. Development as part of a net zero ambition but with climate justice, that delivers not for those that have (and have a voice) but for those that have not.

Striving to ‘thrive in 25’ – as we all talked about at the beginning of this year, can feel less certain now, and with the ongoing funding challenges and high construction costs that continue to prevail with or without the new NPPF. But there is reason to be hopeful. For public private partnerships that unlock stalled sites through third party investment and infrastructure subsidies that can allow progress. For grid and power innovation. And for support of industries – from arts to life sciences – that’s creates growth prospects for not only Lambeth but wider London.

The best part of life at LCA is the people we meet and how much we learn every day. We all came away with lots to think about this morning. As comms folk, perhaps we start with how we can take the words ‘temporary accommodation’ back to what they should stand for. Raising awareness and igniting action – it’s time for a new religion for change.