Mayor of London faces fresh calls to reform cold weather support system for rough sleepers

Sadiq Khan at a homeless extension hotel and serves tea to a guest in east London on 8 January. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

The Mayor of London is facing calls to reform the emergency cold-weather support system in place in the capital as homeless Londoners continue to brave terrible conditions this winter.

Rough sleepers are able to access additional emergency accommodation in London when the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London Councils activate Severe Emergency Weather Protocol – known as SWEP – when temperatures drop below freezing. This triggers an obligation for local authorities across the capital to shelter those sleeping outside.

However, the strategy has been criticised for failing to take into account the impact of harsh weather, such as strong rain or winds, on rough sleepers, when the temperature is barely above freezing.

On 6 January the GLA and London Councils sent out a notice saying SWEP would be deactivated as “Met Office forecasts expect temperatures above 0°C across London” that night, despite conditions remaining wintry.

Charities have now called on Sir Sadiq Khan to change the rules so SWEP can be activated and maintained more easily during the winter months.

Paul Brocklehurst, Centrepoint’s Senior Helpline Manager, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “No one should have to spend the night on the streets during extreme weather and initiatives like the SWEP should ensure that everyone who is sleeping rough is brought inside and is safe.

“It’s really disappointing to see SWEP turned on and off again within the space of a week. The temperatures have rarely been above freezing and the weather has generally been awful – cold snaps put lives at risk but it goes without saying that most people don’t want people left with no option but to be out on the streets in these conditions.

“There are too many inconsistencies around how and when SWEP is activated. The winter months pose a serious threat to those sleeping on the streets and more need be done to ensure that survival isn’t dependent on your postcode.

“Ultimately, safer accommodation and support should be made available throughout the year and, in recent months the Mayor of London and the government have taken steps in the right direction – but it’s clear we’re still in an acute crisis and too many people are unable to access shelter, even in appalling conditions”.

Francesca Albanese, Executive Director of Policy and Social Change at Crisis, told the LDRS: “Rough sleeping is dangerous at all times of the year. People forced to sleep rough have to contend with freezing conditions and extreme heat. From our own research we know that nine in 10 people sleeping on the streets have experienced violence or abuse.

“We need to move to a system where there is a minimum of emergency accommodation available for everyone who needs it all year round. This would reduce the harm and risk of people sleeping rough for long periods of time, and would increase the chances of people accessing the support that they might need to move to a life beyond homelessness”.

Speaking at a homeless hotel in east London last week, the Mayor of London told the LDRS that he wants there “to be a provision all year round, not just when the weather is bad”.

“When I became Mayor, we changed the rules. Before, it would have to be zero degrees for three nights in a row before SWEP provision kicked in. We changed that. It’s ridiculous.

“So when it’s zero degrees or approaching zero degrees, councils are working incredibly hard to support us providing this emergency provision.

“We know it’s going to be cold over the weekend. Whether it gets to zero or not, I’m determined to make sure stuff’s available, so we’re talking to councils today”.

Having already braved Storm Goretti, London is expected to continue to face more rain and misery in the coming weeks, though temperatures should gradually rise towards the end of January.