Milton Keynes City Council - Case Study

Milton Keynes City Council has dramatically improved its temporary accommodation services since implementing Access Adam Housing in 2021. Working with Access to develop a bespoke solution for their innovative landlord cash incentive scheme, the council has achieved remarkable results in tackling homelessness and providing stable housing pathways for vulnerable residents. 

Key Results: 

Like many local authorities, Milton Keynes faced growing demand for temporary accommodation whilst working within constrained budgets. With over 117,000 households in temporary accommodation across England as of September 2024, pressures were mounting. 

At peak, over 100 individuals were in hotel accommodation each night - expensive and unsuitable. The council had only four or five active providers, limiting choice and flexibility. Managing property compliance was entirely manual, requiring staff to repeatedly chase providers for safety certificates. Most critically, residents were stuck in temporary accommodation with no clear pathways out. 

Milton Keynes wanted to develop a landlord cash incentive scheme to encourage private landlords to offer secure tenancies lasting two to three years rather than short-term temporary placements. However, delivering this required digital infrastructure that could manage the complexity.

Danny Hassall, Senior Supply and Acquisitions Officer at Milton Keynes City Council, explains: "We started using Adam Housing as a way to develop our landlord cash incentive scheme which we launched about the same time. We wanted to try and find a way to move people out of temporary accommodation rather than just keep putting people in with little to no move on. So we generated a scheme whereby we incentivised landlords and agents to come to us, offer us properties to let, and we then find the tenant to place in the property and pay them an incentive to do so." 

Access developed bespoke functionality specifically for Milton Keynes' needs. The platform manages properties, automatically tracks compliance, processes incentive payments to landlords, and matches suitable tenants to available homes through integrated digital workflows. 

The implementation was seamless. Danny describes: "Adam took all our bookings, added all the properties for us, and set up the providers onto the platform so we were all smooth and ready to go for day one. They also contacted the providers, reached out to them, and offered them training sessions and webinars. So it was seamless for both sides really." 

Dramatic Provider Growth 

The supplier base has expanded from just four or five actively used providers to well over 240 accredited providers through organic growth with minimal marketing input. 

Danny explains: "When we first moved onto the platform we only had about four or five suppliers that I know were actively using it. But since then, with the natural growth of it as well and very little input on marketing from us to do it, that's now at well over 240 accredited providers, which has made a massive difference in the amount of stock we've been offered as well and the quality of properties." 

Transformed Compliance 

The platform now maintains 99.7% compliance across all properties with built-in safeguards that make non-compliance virtually impossible.

Danny says:

"We can't book a property without a property having all the compliant certificates so from the get-go we're compliant. Compliance figures have improved massively since using Access Adam. Before it was a very manual process having to chase providers for gas safety certificates, energy performance, and electrical certificates. Obviously, this was very time-consuming and it wasn't a good use of our time either. But now with the Adam platform, we can't book or use a property until those certificates are on there. We can track when they're due and we get notifications about 28 days before and 14 days before so we can chase the providers in advance as well." 

Substantial Cost Savings 

Hotel accommodation has been reduced from over 100 individuals nightly to 8-9. The landlord cash incentive scheme has moved 104 households into secure tenancies, with the average temporary accommodation stay costing five to six times more than the incentives paid to landlords. 

Monthly invoicing is now automated. Danny notes: "Before we were on an automated platform, we had to manually check all our booking dates month to month with every single provider and then manually invoice every single provider. Whereas now it's done automatically for us - the booking dates are calculated, the costs are agreed, Adam figures out all of that for us. Obviously it claws back overpayments as well, so that's made a massive difference." 

Future Plans 

Milton Keynes is now developing a rent guarantee scheme to attract more properties onto the platform and further reduce reliance on nightly lets, demonstrating ongoing commitment to tackling homelessness through innovative, technology-enabled solutions.

Milton Keynes also uses Access Adam Transport, where the council has achieved significant results in managing SEND transport services for over 1,400 children with additional needs. 

Transport Achievements:

• 31% increase in SEND transport provider base
• Over £750,000 in cost savings
• Route optimisation reduced routes from 195 to 171
• Improved efficiency and service quality for vulnerable children 

 The cloud-based solution enables both transport teams and providers to operate on the go and adapt routes as needs and resources change, helping the council perform better against budget whilst ensuring all children can access the education they need. 

Milton Keynes' experience demonstrates how integrated digital solutions can transform temporary accommodation management and homelessness prevention, delivering measurable improvements in compliance, efficiency, and outcomes for vulnerable residents. 

Since investing in the Access Adam ecosystem, the council has digitally transformed both its housing and transport services to improve quality of life, experience significant cost savings, and make better use of resources and budgets. 

Danny Hassall summarises: "I definitely would recommend 100% that other local authorities explore the option. For us it's made a massive difference to all of our processes really. We couldn't imagine life without it now. We'd be happy to welcome anyone, any other boroughs who want to discuss how Milton Keynes uses the system. Come along and see it - more than happy to show you how it works and how we manage to utilise it and how it could possibly work for them as well." 

Discover how Access Local Authority software can support similar transformations in your area. Contact us to explore how we can help your digital transformation journey.