Brighton: Council seeks court order to remove 'dangerous' tents

Brighton and Hove City Council is seeking the order which will require owners of tents to remove them amid residents' concern over a growing number of encampments at Black Rock, Brighton, near the new development.

Andy Winter, an expert on homelessness in the city, described the tents as "dangerous and unsightly" and said the encampment is "just the latest manifestation of the homelessness and rough sleeping crisis".

Two of the tents at Black Rock this week (Image: Submitted)

READ MORE: Neighbourhood terrorised by people doing drugs and defecating outside

The former chief executive of homelessness charity Brighton Housing Trust said: "Tents are not the answer to rough sleeping. They are a lose, lose, lose scenario. They are dangerous for those living in the tents which are often unsuitable for the British climate and people may have medical emergencies that remain untreated through lack of visibility.

"Tents are dangerous for outreach workers who have no idea what risks they might face when approaching tent-dwellers. And they are unsightly, not least in those areas that are being regenerated like at Black Rock.

“Responsibility for these encampments sits directly with the last government which repeatedly promised to end rough sleeping by the end of the last parliament. They failed miserably and the number of people sleeping rough increased by 120 per cent since they came to office. 

“The challenge for the Starmer government is to put forward practical measures to increase the support services and accommodation needed to help people to move off the streets, and to build the social housing that this country so desperately needs. They must act fast before responsibility for people living and dying on our streets becomes their responsibility.”

Councillor Gill Williams said the council is seeking a court order which would mean tent residents must remove their encampments (Image: Brighton and Hove City Council)

Councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing and new homes, said: “Our team regularly inspects this area of the seafront and we are aware of a number of unauthorised tents at Dukes Mound and Black Rock.

“We take a welfare-first approach to situations like this and have been engaging with the people currently sleeping in these tents and supporting them to find alternative accommodation.

“We are also currently pursuing a court order which, if granted, will require the owners of the tents and any other form of encampment to remove them.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "This is the most acute housing crisis in living memory, with record levels of homelessness and we know this is particularly an issue in Brighton.

“We are taking action by setting up a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, that brings together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy to end homelessness.

“And we will prevent homelessness before it occurs by banning Section 21 evictions and delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”