Crawley councillor calls homeless a 'blight' and promises to put pressure on government
A Crawley councillor has described homelessness as ‘a blight’.
But Ian Irvine (Lab, Broadfield) said there had been a recent drop – ‘a blip’ – in the numbers sleeping on the town’s streets.
Mr Irvine spoke during a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday (November 27) where members recommended that a draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2025 -29 be adopted by the full council.
The draft strategy sets out the issues and challenges faced by the council and how it will fulfil its legal obligations by providing services to homeless households and those threatened with homelessness.
Mr Irvine said: “Homelessness is a blight – it’s a blight on the people who are homeless, their families, it’s a blight on our society, and it’s also a blight on our council finances.”
He added that the council would continue to put pressure on the government to make preventing homelessness a priority.
While acknowledging the blip in homelessness figures – and sharing the hope that it was more than temporary – Sue Mullins, cabinet member for community engagement & culture, spoke about rough sleepers in the town centre.
She said that, as Marks & Spencer closed its doors for the last time earlier this month, two people moved into the doorway, looking for somewhere to bed down out of the rain.
Mrs Mullins said: “That shouldn’t be happening in a modern town like Crawley, in a modern country like this in the 21st century. It’s outrageous.”
Leader Michael Jones praised the work of Crawley Open House and the council’s strategic housing team for their efforts to help those in need.
But he told councillors that rough sleeping was becoming ‘more noticeable’ in the town centre.
He added that severe weather emergency protocols had been put in place and everyone found on the streets had been offered accommodation.
But not all of them took up the offer – some simply refused while others would not engage with those trying to help them.
Mr Jones added: “I hope residents will accept our assurances that this is a subject we take incredibly seriously and an awful lot of work is done.
“The fact that we are significantly overspent by millions of pounds on our temporary accommodation budget in order to ensure everyone has a roof over their heads should also be an indication of the seriousness with which we take our statutory duties.”
The draft strategy will be considered at a meeting of the full council in December.