Plans to ban soup runs near Westminster Cathedral

28 February 2011 Last updated at 17:23

Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12594397?print=true

 

The council says the soup runs cause littering, violence and disorder. Soup runs around Westminster Cathedral could be banned in an effort to discourage rough sleeping in the area.Westminster Council said up to 100 people gathered at the piazza when hot drinks were given out, making it a no-go area for residents and businesses.

The Coombe Trust, a charity which has provided free food for two years, said it would defy the "draconian measures".

A by-law could be in force by October if the Conservative-run council's plans are backed in a public consultation.The council said local residents and businesses had to deal with littering, violence and disorder as a result of large numbers of people gathering for free food.

A spokesman for Westminster Cathedral said the council owned the piazza and the bill was a council initiative. He added that the cathedral would take part in the consultation.

  Daniel Astaire, cabinet member for society, families and adult services, said: "It is wrong and undignified that people are being fed on the streets.

"There's nothing on God's earth that will stop me doing this” David Coombe Street Souls.

 

"Efforts by local organisations responding to the needs of the most vulnerable within their own community are to be applauded. "However, soup runs on the streets in Westminster actually encourage people to sleep rough in central London, with all the dangers that entails."

While homeless charities St Mungo's and Thames Reach backed the plans, other charities and councillors were against the bill.The Coombe Trust organises soup runs twice a month outside the cathedral - under the name Street Souls - and has been operating for more than two years.

David Coombe, the trust's chief executive, said: "The need is there. We are not seeing the same people all the time, which is a good sign, but there are a few. "We set up tables and an orderly line is formed. We take brooms with us, we take bins with us and water to wash down if necessary. We leave the place better than we find it.

"The plans are incredibly draconian measures they are trying to enforce here. There's nothing on God's earth that will stop me doing this."

Leader of the Labour group on the council, Paul Dimoldenberg, described the plans as "cold-hearted and mean-minded". "People who take food from soup runs are really down on their luck.

"It's more than banning them [soup runs], it is to criminalise the people who run them, so the generous-hearted people from the various charities and churches who currently run the soup runs will be fined if they continue their Good Samaritan practices."

A spokesman for the cathedral said: "Westminster Cathedral has a long association with local charities including the Passage and the Cardinal Hume Centre which help homeless people."

About 150 people sleep rough in Westminster on any given night and 98% of those people "have no connection to the borough", the council said.

Information foxton centre: winter watch

Winter Watch is the name given to short term overnight emergency shelter provided to rough sleepers in the event of there being an extended period of extremely cold weather.

Winter Watch is triggered when for three consecutive days and nights (72 hours) the temperature fails to rise above freezing. The likelihood of this occurring can be gauged by viewing the Met Office website which gives a specific forecast for Preston. The Head of Housing Advice at Preston City Council has discretion to call Winter Watch when the temperatures reach close to this situation and it is deemed appropriate to open the Winter Watch provision.

Do people on the streets know how to access this provision? Is there information in local libraries? for example...The facilities are there (for some) which is good but accessing them is not an easy task due to the lack of information being widely available . A free phone number would be helpful for people with little or no resources or even putting the details on the blog that could be accessed from the free Internet in the bus station for example.

Winter Watch is a life saving provision so its important that it is highly visible to all who need it for that fact, its like, its there and its not there.

Winter 2010/ 2011: Its another cold one...

Homeless man beaten by thugs near Roper Hall

While we were doing soup run last week we came across stories of people being attacked by young thugs on our streets. Only last week an elderly man between 58 & 63 years old; who sleeps on Preston's streets was attacked from behind by two young thugs for money or anything else they could get.


The man was beaten around the face and head leaving him needing stitches and badly bruised. He told us he was hit with a club of some sort.

The man is now afraid to be on the streets in case of being attacked again. Something needs to be done for this man and the other people still sleeping on our streets. Its not safe.

This has not been the first time when a thug or groups of thugs attack vulnerable people on the streets, like a pack of dogs.

Where is the help for the people still sleeping on the streets?

Many people have been housed since Christmas and the cold weather, which is great news. But there are still people sleeping rought, looking over their shoulders in case their the next victim of these heartless thugs.

Something needs to be done! People are not safe sleeping on the streets.

Winter Report Feb 8th - 12th 2010

Winter watch needed again...

Has anyone seen soldier Billy?

This was the story from the LEP: Published Date: 22 January 2010

A man with an imitation firearm was Tasered by police in Preston city centre. The 43-year-old, of no fixed abode, was threatening to harm himself on Cheapside at around 4.10pm on Friday. (22nd January)

So where is he now? Does anybody know, please get in touch as people are concerned for his well being. You can listen to him on Preston Soup run's blog talking about his life on Preston's streets.

Overdose at Fox St Night Shelter

There is very little information on what happened as of date the local media is not reporting the story...What we know is between the days Thursday and Friday a man was found behind the door dead in his room at the Fox St Shelter; from what we have been told on the streets he died of an overdose.

Who was he? We will try and find out