More than 130 homeless people from Brighton placed in Eastbourne hotels

The row over Brighton council placing its homeless people in Eastbourne seafront hotels has deepened this week after it was revealed the authority has placed 134 homeless people in premises in the town.

Last week the Herald reported that 30 people had been placed in the Marine Parade Hotel in Eastbourne by Brighton council with no consultation which led to an outcry from council officers, police and organisations which provide support to vulnerable people.

It now appears that Brighton council has placed people in Savoy Court Hotel, Fairlands Hotel in Lascelles Terrace, Camberley Hotel, The Saffron in Jevington Gardens, Travencore Holiday Apartments, in Wilmington Way, Vernon House Hotel in Compton Street, Fortune Flats in Jevington Gardens, Halcyon Hotel and Ivy Hotel in Wilmington Gardens.

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High level talks were held between officials from the two councils last week when Eastbourne officers said the Brighton council’s actions were an unfair burden.

In a document seen by the Herald, Eastbourne council officers said, “No other authority is placing in the Eastbourne area at such a rate as Brighton & Hove City Council. We are clear this position or increasing placements by that council is placing an untenable and unfair burden on us as an authority, and as such needs to be escalated to more senior officers.

“Brighton council needs to be actively moving their clients back into their own authority, and urgently need to demonstrate their strategic and operational commitment to this.”

Brighton & Hove City Council says most of the placements in Eastbourne are those to whom the authority owes a housing duty, though the Marine Parade Hotel was procured specifically for COVID cases where no duty is owed.

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Brighton & Hove City Council has been approached for a comment on the latest figures.

Eastbourne council says it too places its homeless people in other areas but there are currently only “roughly 12 household placed out of borough such as in other areas towns in East Sussex or in Kent, all of whom the council is committed to bringing back into area within six weeks of placement, or whom have been placed out of area for their own safety”

Also included in the report is concern from Sussex Police.

The report states, “Sussex Police says their officers often don’t recognise the faces they see within the street community and don’t have background information to understand the types of risks that some individuals bring with them, or who their associates are, which makes it much harder to police, in addition to a rise in violent crimes and drugs offences.”

The report continues, “When these placements end for any given reason, the individual from the Brighton area is under no obligation to return to the Brighton & Hove City Council area and many will simply remain in the area, rough sleeping or in other unstable arrangements.

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“This places additional burdens on our outreach and rough sleeping teams who then have to pick up these cases, again often with little background information.

“We in Eastbourne will continue the dialogue with Brighton & Hove City Council through regular strategic meetings and this will be particularly crucial as we move toward winter months, with winter night shelter and severe weather emergency protocols needing to be established.”

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell has expressed her anger at Brighton council’s actions too.

She said, “I am furious Brighton & Hove City Council is washing its hands of its responsibilities by transferring homeless people to Eastbourne in increasing numbers without any consultation or warning.

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“Sadly, the law says it can do this but I have to question the morality of it. I believe this is a failure of Brighton & Hove Council’s homelessness policy and I will be writing in the strongest possible terms to the leader of that council to make it clear it should be working to look after its own people, with a range of support and connections to the community, not passing people along the coast because it’s convenient and cheaper. Those in such need, need far more than a room.

“Everyone wants to see an end to the suffering of homelessness and it is the government’s ambition to do so but Brighton is a city with city-sized services to help homeless people – many with complex needs around drink and drug dependency. It has also received extra government money to tackle this issue. If this continues then Eastbourne’s health, social care, council and law enforcement services will simply be overwhelmed and that will help no-one.

“Longer term, there are issues for our hospitality industry if hotels designed to cater for tourists are used in this way. Already I have had people contact me with concerns about increased anti-social behaviour on the seafront.

“I very much hope Brighton & Hove City Council will react positively and urgently communicate with Eastbourne. In the meantime, I will also be speaking to the relevant government ministers to see what can be done.”

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