London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Housing crisis leaves boy, 10, with 170-mile round trip to school in Birmingham

Housing crisis leaves boy, 10, with 170-mile round trip to school in Birmingham

Homeless family were put up in hotel room in Manchester, meaning he had to be driven from there each day
A 10-year-old boy was forced to take a 170-mile round trip to school every day after his homeless family was put up in a hotel room in a different city because of a lack of suitable housing locally.

Campaigners say the boy, who had to be driven by his parents from a Manchester Travelodge to his primary school in Birmingham for two months, was the victim of a chronic shortage of social housing in the West Midlands city.

Citizens UK Birmingham called for an urgent increase in the supply of social housing to tackle a growing list of more than 6,000 children living in temporary accommodation in the city while waiting for a suitable family home.

The boy, called Isaac, told Birmingham Live: “I went to bed as soon as I got home at night then got up again the next day. We would wake up at 5am and leave at 6am in the morning. My mum and dad think education matters so always got me to school.”

Victoria Rivett, the headteacher at his school, St Clare’s Catholic primary in Handsworth, told reporters Isaac’s experience was far from unique. Several of her pupils in temporary accommodation had to make lengthy and complicated trips to school from across the West Midlands.

“I am very proud of Isaac, he showed great resilience to keep coming into school. But we should really not have children having to go through ordeals like this,” she said.

Citizens UK condemned a “broken” housing system that left thousands of youngsters trapped in what it described as a “hotels-and-flats merry-go-round” while expensive private high-rise apartment developments sprung up all over the city.

About 3,500 families are living in temporary accommodation in the city – approximately 500 in B&Bs and hotels, 600 in family homeless centres, 1,700 in council properties and 1,000 more in private leased homes.

Gary Messenger, Birmingham city council’s head of interim housing, told Birmingham Live that housing families in out-of-area accommodation was rare: “We are doing our level best for every family, but we are in the grip of a national housing crisis, being seen across the country.

“Our priority is to ensure the health and wellbeing needs of children and families are met. We would ideally house all our families here in the city, unless there is a legitimate safeguarding reason not to do so.”

Matt Downie, the director of policy at homelessness charity Crisis, said: “No parent should have to go to such great lengths just to get their child to school every day. This story encapsulates the day-to-day reality of our housing crisis.

“A lack of affordable homes means that too many families are relocated away from their support networks, disrupting their children’s education.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×