BROMSGROVE District Council say they are "confident" homelessness can be kept under control after a report described the district as a West Midlands ‘homelessness hotspot’.

Figures released by national housing charity Shelter in December estimated there to be 38 homeless people in Bromsgrove, ranking it in the ‘top 20’ areas in the region.

The report – which is compiled by analysing government statistics, freedom of information requests, and homelessness data – was released to mark Shelter’s 50th anniversary.

Council bosses have since questioned the report and stepped in to reassure residents.

Councillor Kit Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Planning Services and Strategic Housing, said: "Everyone knows that Shelter do a great job campaigning on this issue.

"Like them, we don’t want anyone to experience homelessness in Bromsgrove.

"That said, on this occasion, Shelter’s approach should have been more measured and it has left myself, and colleagues, flabbergasted that this misleading data was made public.

"Without checking with us Shelter produced a West Midlands homelessness hotspot table.

"Bromsgrove was ranked 20th out of 31 councils which isn’t a shocking statistic as there are only 10 places in the region homelessness is less of an issue than it is in Bromsgrove.

"How they could describe Bromsgrove as a homelessness hotspot is staggering and Shelter have got things hugely out of proportion.

"It’s also worth unpicking Shelter’s claim that we had 38 homeless people in the district at the time when they did their analysis.

"Everyone knows there’s no rough sleeping issue here, and counting people who are living in temporary accommodation in the figure is a bit confusing too.

"After all, these residents are housed, albeit whilst their longer term situation is being resolved – in the meantime, they are not homeless as they have a roof over their heads.

"The Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Board has undertaken a detailed investigation into homelessness in Bromsgrove and we have since acted on their recommendations to safeguard the interests of our most vulnerable residents.

"As a result I am confident we can continue to keep homelessness under control in Bromsgrove."

For more information on Shelter, who campaign to end homelessness and bad housing, visit shelter.org.uk.

A housing advice service, where nearly 3,800 have registered for advice over the last four years, can be accessed at bromsgrovehomeoptions.org.uk.