Local authorities across the country are offering emergency accommodation to people sleeping on the streets as temperatures fall below freezing.
For the first time this winter, several councils have activated their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), a locally agreed procedure to protect rough sleepers.
Councils do not have a statutory duty to provide shelter for rough sleepers during cold weather but it is widely accepted that there is a humanitarian obligation to prevent harm on the streets.
Authorities often trigger a SWEP if temperatures are forecast to drop to zero degrees for three or more nights in a row.
A pan-London SWEP was activated yesterday by mayor Sadiq Khan and cross-party organisation London Councils.
Mr Khan said London was ‘ready to support the most vulnerable in our society’, but warned that the previous Government’s ‘dire legacy’ on rough sleeping meant the situation was likely to get worse before getting better.
