PLANS to use some of the city council’s 21 empty buildings as night shelters for rough sleepers will be discussed today.

During a full Brighton and Hove City Council meeting last month, a petition that gained 4,150 signatures calling for empty council buildings to be used as night shelters gained unanimous support from councillors.

Campaigners are hoping the policy, growth and resources committee will help push the idea through.

And Councillor Clare Moonan, lead member for homelessness and rough sleeping, said that she hopes to offer a “better service for rough sleepers” in time for next winter.

She said: “I agree that rough sleeping is not acceptable and puts people at risk.

“We are aiming to put together a cross-party working group after discussions at the committee meeting.

“It is a complex issue to solve and we just need to come together and work as one to get it done.”

Cllr Moonan also stated that “we need to do more” to help rough sleepers and that the council will be appointing a rough sleeping strategy coordinator to help with this process.

The city council voted on January 26 to use empty council properties for night shelters and since the vote, many councillors and residents have complained that not enough has been done to implement viable plans to help rough sleepers.

The committee aims to undertake a property review of empty council buildings to assess any specific property requirements, risks and the financial implications of using selected buildings for crisis accommodation.

Retired John Hadman, 78, from Hove, has been campaigning since January for the council to act in the interest of rough sleepers and started the petition.

He said: “The problem is ongoing and I would like to see some genuine and immediate action to solve the problem of the number of rough sleepers in our city.”

The council currently has 21 non-residential empty buildings, excluding council properties that may be undergoing work or have been let but not yet occupied.

According to council statistics, during the third quarter of 2016/17, there were 144 people recorded to be sleeping rough in Brighton and Hove, with an average of 50 to 60 per cent of them having no local connection.

With the city in the midst of an ongoing clash between rough sleepers and the authorities over Public Spaces Protection Order legislation, the committee meeting comes at a pivotal time.