WORCESTER'S MP disagrees with the Home Secretary's comments about 'banning' tents for rough sleepers while a charity boss says it is wrong to punish the homeless people who live in them.

The controversial remarks by Suella Braverman about 'banning' tents for homeless people have already sparked criticism from leaders at Maggs Day Centre in Deansway.

There have even been calls for Ms Braverman to spend a night sleeping rough on the streets of Worcester from the chairman of the trustees of St Paul's Hostel, Philp Fowler.

 

 

Now Jonathan Sutton, chief executive of St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hill, and Worcester Conservative MP Robin Walker have also revealed they do not agree with the Home Secretary's comments. 

Mr Fowler has also called on Suella Braverman to apologise and spend one night on the streets of Worcester with homeless people.

 

 

Ms Braverman said on X: "We cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.

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"Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor.

"Nobody in Britain should be living in a tent on our streets. There are options for people who don't want to be sleeping rough, and the government is working with local authorities to strengthen wraparound support including treatment for those with drug and alcohol addiction."

Worcester's MP Robin Walker said: "I don't support the comments she made personally. I can understand the point she was trying to make is that clearly tents are not the solution to homelessness. We need better support to get people into long term accommodation."

He also said he understood the concerns raised by Maggs Day Centre and St Pau's Hospice and welcomed the fact the Home Secretary's comments were not included in the King's Speech.

Mr Walker said he would rather support education and improving literacy and numeracy which he said was 'a better way to address the challenge of homelessness than banning tents'.

Jonathan Sutton, chief executive of St Paul's Hostel in Worcester, said: "Fining charities for giving out tents or punishing people who end up in them will not meet the government's policy objective to end rough sleeping. 

"I'm often asked what can the public do to help? So I say this. Don't forget national government policy choices on housing, health, social care and welfare have a considerable influence on the structural determinants, to use the jargon, that set the conditions for people to be shoved into the river upstream. 

"I also encourage people to write lots of letters to their local councillors because they have influence in setting the tone and framing the local response. For example whether it is thinking critically about spending money on another 'shiny thing' in the centre of town or investing more in local homelessness and recovery services, taking the time to read and scrutinise the local homelessness and rough sleeper strategy or think critically about whether Public Space Protection Orders have worked to reduce begging."