Local people and visitors to Westminster are concerned about the growing number of rough sleepers in the heart of our capital. We spoke to Conservative Councillor David Harvey and Kevin Hollinrake MP to help understand the challenge and how local councils are able to help.
Cllr David Harvey: So I'm here with Kevin Hollinrake, who's the Shadow Community Secretary. We've been talking about the enormous challenge of rough sleeping and drug taking in this area around Westminster Cathedral. 400 people are sleeping rough in Westminster pretty much every night. And although we can help all of them, there's a steady flow, and there is no police. The amount of crime and gang activity. People don't feel safe. As a party, Kevin, what can we do about this?
Kevin Hollinrake MP: Well, you do see instances of best practice. So just down the road, Kensington, Chelsea, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you say 400 here, David, there are 16 in Kensington and Chelsea. And that's because the local authority there, a Conservative authority, is far more proactive. So when they go out and see people on the street, they take a police officer with them and they make sure those people are not left to lie in the streets, to sleep on the streets, because there is a bed for these people, right across London. You want to make sure there is zero tolerance for this. Of course, there's got to be a provision, but there is. But not letting people lie in the streets. That is bad for those people; clearly, it is bad for the community. And it isn't good for the local economy. So we're very keen to tackle it and make sure that best practice is seeded right across the country.
Cllr David Harvey: Kevin, that is what we should be doing. And I know how concerned you are about social breakdown as well, and how there's a long trail of broken lives that we have to deal with as well.
Kevin Hollinrake MP: Yes. And I was on a Select Committee. We looked at homelessness and rough sleeping. It's a chain of custody we need. So, tackling rough sleeping, getting people in. Somewhere where they feel safe but also trying to step people through, giving them support, mental health support and other things, trying to get people back into stable lives, that's what we've got to do. But it cannot be these people who are obviously very keen to help but are also affecting things for other people in these communities. It's not fair, and we shouldn't tolerate it.
Cllr David Harvey: And here in Vincent Square Ward, I. get eight, ten emails a day as do my council colleagues from people who've got rough sleepers sleeping on their doorstep, drug dealing happening next door, crime over the ward, and they're really frightened about this, but they're also deeply concerned for the individuals themselves who are often the victims of gang crimes. Gangs come from Lambeth, Southwark, and Croydon, and that has to stop.
Kevin Hollinrake MP: Sure, absolutely. The statistic is that two-thirds of the people who are sleeping rough in Westminster have no right to be here. They're not UK residents. So we've got to make sure we tackle this problem, obviously stop people coming into the UK who have no right to be here, but also when they are here, dealing with it, that kind of tough love to make sure there are solutions and working to make sure they're properly implemented.
Cllr David Harvey: And, you know, beyond that, only 5% of people sleeping rough in Westminster have any local connection of any length of time at all. They're drawn here, and we have to do better to help. But we have to remember too the local people who live here, and for the need for them and for local businesses to be able to get on with their lives safely and without fear.
Kevin Hollinrake MP: Great to work with you, David. We're going to make sure we tackle this problem.
Cllr David Harvey: Kevin, really great to talk to you today.
Kevin Hollinrake MP: Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you.
