Our World is Local with Greg Hurst

In this episode of Our World Is Local, Heather Jameson and Nick Kilby are joined by Greg Hurst, Director of Communications and Public Engagement at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, for an in-depth discussion about the growing homelessness crisis, the pressures facing local government and the need to shift from crisis management towards prevention.

Heather and Nick begin by reflecting on the mood at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where cautious optimism was accompanied by concerns about public finances, local government reorganisation and the pace of devolution. They discuss the government’s longer-term ambitions for reform and the growing political focus on homelessness, particularly the commitment to tackling rough sleeping and improving outcomes for vulnerable families.

The conversation then turns to the scale of the homelessness challenge. Greg highlights the rising number of families living in temporary accommodation and the significant financial pressures this places on councils, with spending reaching £2.9 billion in the last financial year. He explores the wider consequences for children and families, from disrupted education and poorer health outcomes to the long-term impact of housing insecurity across generations.

A central theme of the discussion is the need to move away from expensive emergency responses and invest in earlier intervention. Greg argues that preventing homelessness requires a more joined-up approach across housing, health, education, employment and other public services. He outlines how practical measures, including debt advice, rent support, landlord mediation and better use of council data, could help identify households at risk before they reach crisis point.

The discussion also considers the pressures facing housing officers and local authority teams, who are increasingly required to respond to immediate emergencies with limited resources and accommodation options. Greg stresses the importance of creating space for innovation, experimentation and evidence-based decision-making, highlighting examples of councils using data to identify financial vulnerability and testing new approaches to prevention.

Devolution and local government reorganisation feature prominently, with Heather, Nick and Greg exploring whether the creation of larger strategic authorities could provide an opportunity to redesign public services around people’s needs. Greg discusses work taking place across London, Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, where regional collaboration is helping to develop more coordinated approaches to homelessness prevention. They consider how councils, combined authorities and wider public services could work together more effectively rather than operating in separate organisational silos.

The conversation also examines public attitudes towards homelessness and the challenge of building support for preventative measures, which are often less visible than emergency interventions. Greg argues that demonstrating the effectiveness of prevention through robust evaluation will be essential to changing how resources are allocated and how success is measured.

The episode concludes with Heather and Nick reflecting on whether the current programme of local government reform offers a genuine opportunity to transform the way public services respond to homelessness. While recognising the financial and organisational pressures facing councils, they consider whether a more integrated, preventative and evidence-led system could deliver better outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

Further reading and research

For those interested in exploring the evidence behind homelessness prevention and support, Greg shares two pieces of research from the Centre for Homelessness Impact.

The first is a short paper, Support for Families Living in Temporary Accommodation, which brings together international evidence on how families in temporary housing can be better supported, including through counselling, healthcare and wellbeing services.

The second is a research project examining the impact of providing an unconditional £2,000 cash payment to young people leaving local authority care. The study found improved housing stability, enhanced wellbeing and reduced contact with the criminal justice system among those receiving the payment, offering further insight into how targeted, evidence-led interventions can improve outcomes for vulnerable young people.

Hosted by Cratus Group Executive Chairman Nick Kilby and the Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, the ‘Our World is Local’ podcast is a space to learn about the key figures in local government, highlighting the tremendous work they do for the communities they serve. You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠here⁠.

You can listen to the previous episodes ⁠⁠on Spotify here⁠ and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.