A council has bought a block of flats in a bid to boost its temporary accommodation stock – as a homeless person camps outside its offices. Ashford Borough Council (ABC) now owns 14 studio apartments in Elwick Road after buying a property opposite the town’s empty Debenhams for an undisclosed sum. The authority hopes the homes will “bring forward much-needed cost-effective temporary accommodation” and “significantly lower” its spend on bed and breakfasts. But news of the purchase comes as a homeless woman has been camping outside the council’s offices in Tannery Lane for at least two weeks. AB…
