The housing charity Shelter has responded to the latest Govt data on homelessness in England which shows that between January and March 2022 74,230 households became homeless or were threatened with homelessness including over 25,000 families with children. This represents a 5% increase on the same period in 2021.

The charity has called on the Govt to intervene to prevent a further steep rise in the figures as private rented sector tenants battle with the "highest private rents on record" at the same time as "rocketing household bills".

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter also said " ... record high rents, and crippling food and fuel bills risk sending even more people over the edge [into homelessness]" and called for the new prime minister to unfreeze housing benefit so that tenants could afford their rent - a call that has also been made by landlord groups recently.