Plush new homes in Maidstone are being used to house the homeless... from London.

Two boroughs in the capital have jointly taken a lease on 40 flats in a newly converted office block in the town centre.

The accommodation, in Star House, in Pudding Lane, offers a total 44 apartments, with a mix of one, two and three bedrooms.

Earlier this year they had been marketed for private sale at prices ranging from £170,000 for a two-bed property to £220,000 for a three-bedroom flat.

The latest move, which is being copied across the south east, has been condemned by council leader Cllr Fran Wilson, who said it was a bad option for Maidstone and for the London tenants.

She said: “This is not going to help our own services which are already stretched.

“There will be additional pressures on school places, on doctors surgeries.

“At the very least, the London boroughs should make a contribution to the ongoing cost of looking after these people, but they are under no obligation to do so.”

The only mitigation Maidstone council has so far achieved is to get an agreement that a small number of the flats will take some of Maidstone’s homeless.

Cllr Wilson stressed she had every sympathy with the London tenants: “They probably don’t want to move to Maidstone, but they have been given little option. They deserve our compassion.”

Large government grants are on offer to London boroughs to solve their homeless problem.

Redbridge Council recently rehoused 125 of its homeless families in the former Howe Barracks in Canterbury.

Cllr Wilson said many councils across the South East are worried and talks will be held urging the Local Government Association to take this up with Whitehall.

Cllr Eddie Powell (Ukip) said: “These people will need more than just a roof over their heads. They may well need extra medical care, perhaps mental health care. It could prove quite a burden, but sadly it’s a reflection of the terrible shortage of social housing across the country.”

Star House is being leased by Newham and Waltham Forest councils. In Newham the average price for a flat is £314,000.

A Waltham Forest council spokesman said: “The council has an agreement to use Star House to provide temporary housing for residents. The council has not purchased the building.

"While we do everything in our power to make arrangements for temporary accommodation to be located within the borough, the most important issue is making sure we can provide a home for those who need it."