Homelessness 'out of control' near police station

8 hours ago

Tom BurgessNorth East and Cumbria

Preston claimed the number of tents in the town's vicinity was "growing fast"

BBC A number of tents are erected next to a concrete wall on a small strip of grass. There is a pile of bin bags and duvets on the grass between two of the tents. A multi-storey car park can be seen in the background. — Preston claimed the number of tents in the town's vicinity was "growing fast"

A council has "lost control" of the homeless situation in a town centre, says the former mayor.

Andy Preston, Middlesbrough's independent mayor from 2019 until May 2023, posted a video of a row of tents which had been pitched by homeless people outside Cleveland Police station.

He said the situation looked like it was "out of hand", with the number of tents in the area "growing fast".

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said the footage was "distressing" but the council was working closely and compassionately with those individuals living in tents "while balancing the impact their actions have on others".

The mayor said some individuals circumstances are "so complex they choose to sleep rough".

Preston said people sleeping rough need "safe, warm places to sleep" and the situation should be dealt with swiftly.

"Politicians have lost control," he said, stressing the need to be both "kind and tough".

"The reasons for sleeping rough are usually complex, but the solutions are simple.

"It's horrendous that people are living like this.There is no political or financial excuse for this to exist in Middlesbrough."

The mayor said council teams "carry out visits three times per week to the locations where we know people sleep rough"

A number of tents can be seen on a thin strip of grass, against a wall; a patch of dead grass outlines where a tent previously sat. Bags of belongings and duvets can be seen strewn around the grassy area, a bare tree stands to the far right. — The mayor said council teams "carry out visits three times per week to the locations where we know people sleep rough"

Mick Saunders, leader of the Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association, said the situation "is not good enough".

He said visitors driving into the town would see the homeless tents and be given a poor impression of the area.

"I was really horrified when I saw the video. I did not realise it was there," Saunders said.

"I will be pressuring the mayor because it is absolutely scandalous what is happening."

Cooke said the council has been working with the individuals camping in the tents for some time.

He said he regularly joins staff on visits to check their welfare, and had seen first-hand the professionalism and compassion council staff show.

"Council teams were closely involved with the circumstances surrounding the tents in the footage before it was shared online, and that will continue," he said.

"We are always striving to balance the needs of individuals who find themselves homeless and the impact their actions have on others."

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