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London council publishes review after destroying rough sleepers’ tents
A London council has reviewed its rough sleeper services after tents and belongings were destroyed as a dispersal order was enforced last year.
Camden Council apologised and ordered the review after the incident outside University College London Hospital (UCLH) on 10 November. A Section 35 dispersal order was enforced on people in around 10 tents camped out on Huntley Street in Bloomsbury.
Footage shared on social media at the time showed waste workers throwing at least one rough sleeper’s tent into the crusher of a bin lorry.
According to an investigation, personal belongings were thrown away during the enforcement, which the council said was “unacceptable and against Camden’s values”.
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In May, the council was again criticised for “forcibly removing” people from the doorstep of its own offices in Pancras Square.
At the time, a spokesperson for the council said that all the people affected were offered a place to stay, but also clarified that a shortage of housing meant some had to be offered somewhere outside the borough.
The review was published ahead of a housing scrutiny committee on 16 July. It found that while services “worked well” in Camden, there has been a “lack of clarity” about the role of enforcement since the UCLH eviction.
According to the review, there was “confusion and debate among local partners”.
It added: “While anti-social behaviour and criminal activity are not acceptable, and enforcement may be an appropriate response in these circumstances, it is clear that a polarised view of support and enforcement can be unhelpful when considering what an appropriate intervention in a particular circumstance may be.”
The report found evidence that enforcement risks “further alienating people who sleep rough” and that anti-social behaviour and criminal activity could present opportunities to connect rough sleepers to support.
It suggested that the council consider developing a framework to provide “greater clarity about when and how our full range of interventions can be best used”.
The review recommended the framework be “mindful” and make clear that enforcement should never be used without an accompanying support officer.
Other findings included that while Camden Council prioritises supporting people into accommodation, there is currently not enough for the number of rough sleepers living in the borough.
Camden has the second highest number of people sleeping rough in London and in England after Westminster.
The review stated a “relatively high” proportion of these are non-UK nationals, with 80% not having any local connection to the borough.
Local hostels are operating “at capacity” and there is high demand for affordable accommodation in the private rented sector, the review found.
According to the review, where accommodation is not “realistic in the near term”, there is a need to make rough sleeping safer, while also ensuring anti-social behaviour and criminal activity is appropriately addressed.
The council also needs to take into account how rough sleepers are at an “increased risk of exploitation and abuse”.
The review found that Camden Council’s rough sleeping and community safety teams had a “robust range of procedures and guidance documents” that ensured they worked “empathetically and effectively”.
But its procedures for responding to rough sleeping out of hours are “limited”.
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We promised this report, which focuses on ensuring our rough sleeping services – together with the many partners who work with us – follows an approach that provides the high-level support needed to help people off our streets and towards independent living.
“Camden has the second highest number of people sleeping rough in London and in England and some unique challenging circumstances which need addressing, including a lack of affordable accommodation, a large proportion of rough sleepers with no recourse to public funds and the problem of hidden homelessness.
“The report proposes adopting approaches which have been successful in supporting other groups of vulnerable young people and adults, including how to meet people’s complex health and care needs, while being clear that enforcement should not be used without an accompanying support offer.
“We are committed to supporting anyone in Camden who is rough sleeping or at risk of homelessness.
“We adopted immediate changes following the incident outside University College Hospital and this report will feed into a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping strategy, due for publication in 2025.”
Camden Council was receiving 100 requests for mould inspections from tenants every day at the end of 2022, however this figure dropped to 12 by the end of last year.
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