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27
Mar 2021
Harrogate council takes away homeless shelters
Harrogate Borough Council has taken its temporary homeless shelters away after four months in Tower Street car park.
The four yellow containers were only supposed to be used in an emergency when other accommodation was not available.
We asked the council if units had been used but did not receive an answer. The units had not been used when we last reported on them in early January.
Councils are obliged to provide accommodation for rough sleepers under the severe weather emergency protocol.
The protocol is usually activated by sub-zero temperatures but other forms of extreme weather, such as high winds, heavy rain and heatwaves can also trigger it.
When they were first installed some people raised concerns about their suitability.
Read more:
- Harrogate council spends £350,000 on B&Bs for homeless people
- Harrogate homeless units still not used this winter
The council, however, defended their use and highlighted the fact they are heated and insulated.
Now that the weather has improved and the homeless shelter on Spa Lane in Starbeck is near completion, the units are no longer needed.
A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council said:
New government guidance last year warned of the dangers of coronavirus in night shelters.
It also asked local authorities to consider “self-contained accommodation options”.
Cllr Mike Chambers, the cabinet member for housing and safer communities, previously told the Stray Ferret the units were “comfortable and appropriate for someone who needs some shelter for a couple of nights”, adding:
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