Between 2018 and 2021 the borough council itself shelled out £874,135 (net) putting people into hostels, B&Bs, flats and houses.

It was also reimbursed another £528,068 that was spent via central government housing benefit and resident contributions.

While local rough sleepers are thought to be very rare, the latest spending figures have raised fears over whether there is enough social housing to prevent overreliance on temporary accommodation.

Watford Labour leader Nigel Bell said he and others had long called for sites like York House in Rickmansworth Road to be modernised or rebuilt.

“As the austerity cuts took hold from 2010 to 2015 and we had the ‘bedroom tax’ legislation we had more families sadly driven into temporary accommodation in Watford,” he said.

“These figures show that there was a need to invest in more modern buildings and sites across the town.”

Herts Young Homeless chief executive, Helen Elliott, explained that when people are in temporary housing it is hard for councils to move them without good quality social housing.

“This creates a bottleneck and means that councils must continue to house them in temporary accommodation of which almost four-fifths are private rented housing,” she said.

In the 2018/19 financial year the total spend – which includes housing benefit and resident contributions – was £469,201, before £515,835 was paid the following year and £417,185 in 20/21.

The council’s net spend was £184,655 (18/19), £346,849 (19/20), and £342,631 (20/21).

Latest data for this financial year, though incomplete, states the council has so far paid just £4,552 itself and £5,496 via the other means.

Cllr Stephen Johnson.

During 20/21 it put 184 people into temporary housing, with 160 and 163 in the two previous years. So far this year the figure is 80.

Councillor Stephen Johnson said the council is proud of its rough sleeping and homelessness achievements – pointing to Watford having zero verified rough sleepers earlier this year.

The portfolio holder for planning, property and housing added: “We have also gone from having 233 households in temporary accommodation in November 2016 to under 90 currently.

“By reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation we are saving the council a considerable amount of money.”

He added people are housed in self-contained accommodation and hostels which provide “wraparound support” that tackles all aspects of why people become homeless.

The council also works hard to initially sustain tenancies, Cllr Johnson said, and it has recently secured government funding to increase support in that field.

“We all know that homelessness can be caused by any number of circumstances, many of which are out of our control,” he added.

“But Watford is committed to ensuring nobody in our community gets left behind.”

Watford MP Dean Russell.

Watford MP Dean Russell said he is passionate about tackling homelessness and lobbying government for funding has been one of his top priorities.

He pointed to £4 million he helped secure which aided “invaluable” work of charities like New Hope and One YMCA in Watford.

The MP also said not everyone offered temporary accommodation has been sleeping on streets – with many placed there for other reasons such as fleeing domestic violence or being evicted.

“In Watford we are leading the country in ending rough sleeping and creating pathways for permanent life changes for people who are homeless,” Mr Russell added.

“There will always be more work to do and it is right that we ensure there is funding for those who find themselves without a roof over their head.”