Homeless people being ‘exported’ to the Dorset Council area putting strain on local services

The claim comes from Weymouth councillor Jon Orrell who says the practice is unfair and has to stop.

He is also warning that Weymouth is getting a reputation as a good place for homeless people to come to, further adding to pressure on services.

Cllr Orrell says a Freedom of Information request to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council showed that between January and July 35 people were sent by its council to Dorset to live – 25 of them to Weymouth where hotels were mainly used to accommodate them.

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He claims that other homeless people have also been turning up in the resort because they had been told it was a place where there was plenty of accommodation available. He said these include a couple from more than a hundred miles away which he claimed had been causing “all sorts of trouble” since their arrival. Cllr Orrell said they had been told there was plenty of accommodation available in the town for homeless people which is why they made the trip.

The Melcombe Regis Green Party councillor said that in addition to extra pressure on local care services, including the police, there was a belief among many residents that there had also been an increase in crime in the town.

“Might they be encouraged back to where they came from?… I am trying to turn off the input from outside the area which I think is a bit unfair on our local towns,” he said.

Cllr Molly Rennie said everyone knew there was good support for homeless people and rough sleepers in Weymouth, which was why some arrived in the town seeking help: “But why do BCP rough sleepers go to Weymouth when there is Ferndown, Wimborne and Wareham between there and Weymouth?” she said.

Another Dorset councillor, Robin Cook, said that Dorset towns often attracted homeless people because residents were kind and charitable.

He said that Wimborne had seen an influx of homeless people for a few weeks because word had spread that local people would readily offer to buy them sandwiches.

He claimed that having good services often resulted in attracting people from outside the area, although the support system run by Dorset Council and charities was only designed for homeless people who have a local connection.

“If you offer too many rewards you will attract rough sleepers,” he said, claiming: “not all of them are the genuine article.”

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BCP Council say moving some of their homeless residents to Dorset was only a temporary solution while more permanent accommodation could be found in its own area.

Service manager for housing advice and homelessness for Dorset Council, Samantha Brand, said that although some street homeless in Dorset were from out of the county the numbers were relatively small.

She said that the council always sought to “re-connect” those not from Dorset with where they came from. She said that this was ultimately in their own interest because on-going support was usually based on having a local connection.