Homeless charity backs crackdown on tent sleepers

A homeless charity has backed a council's drive to move rough sleepers in tents away from a seaside town's promenade.

Blackpool Council announced "a zero tolerance approach" to the tents amid fears of anti-social behaviour.

Kim Hughes from Streetlife said the charity would "not recommend" living in tents for "safety reasons" and she supported the move.

The council acknowledged the encampments were not as widespread as in big cities but said it had to act and people who were moved were being offered help to try find accommodation.

Ms Hughes said: "I don't think it is a prevalent issue in Blackpool, compared to many inner city areas."

She said Blackpool could be a magnet for young people, adding: "There are reports which show that Blackpool is the cheapest place you can move to in the UK.

"You can move to Blackpool with £100, get a B&B for a few nights, and if people are trying to escape from something in their home town, then it can seem like the easiest and cheapest option to do that... coastal towns tend to struggle more with this."

Ms Hughes added: "Tents are not something we would recommend for safety reasons more than anything else."

The charity offers support for the 16-25 age group at its drop-in centre, The Base, along with a night shelter for emergency accommodation.

The council announced that tents used by rough sleepers would be removed in September, as it aimed to prevent any tent cities popping up in the resort.

Lynne Williams, leader of the town's Labour-run council, told BBC Radio Lancashire: “I don’t think we’ve had it quite as bad as some other places , but enough that we had to take some action

"The idea is to try and house them, and find them suitable accommodation.

"I don't think it's a case of moving people to another destination, but rather trying to engage with those who are suffering from homelessness, and seeing how we can help them."

She said the council's "first instinct" was to provide "wrap around support", to help homeless people living in tents get the right service.

But, if people were not willing to accept help, she said, the authority had to "take measures to ensure that we have that right feel about the town, particularly tourism… but for our residents… it isn’t right and that’s why we’ve brought these powers in".

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