Councillor raises severe weather support system questions after man's death in Wellingborough park

A councillor has raised questions about the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) after a man died in a Wellingborough park.

The man, who has not been named and is believed to have been homeless, was found dead in Croyland Gardens on December 4.

Both West (WNC) and North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) activated the SWEP over five nights, ending on the morning of December 4, after temperatures plummeted to as low as -4C.

Questions around the procedure were raised by NNC Labour councillor Valerie Anslow at a full council meeting on December 8, after news broke earlier that week about the man’s death.

She said: “I’m sure you were all shocked to hear of the death of a person who was homeless in Wellingborough on Monday, even when SWEP had been called.”

The individual concerned was not known to NNC’s rough sleeper team and is thought to be from out of the area.

During periods of severe weather, anyone known to be rough sleeping in the area will be provided with suitable emergency accommodation to prevent harm from the elements. Anyone sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures should be given access to emergency accommodation and the scheme is not limited to people with local connections or those in priority need.

In an email to the council, Cllr Anslow said that in the case of three people in Wellingborough over the weekend, one person was offered a place locally but the other two had to travel to Corby for accommodation. She said there needs to be a change of mind by the authority towards those who are homeless.

A spokesperson for NNC revealed that a total of eight people were accommodated under SWEP throughout the nights of November 29 to December 4. In comparison, across West Northants in the same period, 27 people were taken into temporary accommodation. WNC put people up in hotels and worked with the Hope Centre to use apartments in Oasis House – a 58-bed service that offers accommodation and support to homeless people in Northampton.

Cllr Adam Brown, WNC’s deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, said: “During SWEP periods the housing teams and the homelessness teams will do their best to get people helped by SWEP into temporary accommodation, but that’s not always possible for a mixture of reasons. The people who go into SWEP are generally known to the teams and they’ll be people that we’ve tried to help before.”

He said that when SWEP ends in a lot of cases people will go back to rough sleeping or previous accommodation, as they aren’t eligible for housing through WNC. However, offers for accommodation will be made to those who qualify and support needs, such as mental health issues or housing arrears, will be mapped out and referred to appropriate services.

Both councils facilitate a permanent outreach team for rough sleepers, who will approach people they observe to offer support. The NNC rough sleeping team can be contacted on 01536 464630 and WNC’s homelessness team can be accessed by calling 0300 126 7000.

A spokesperson for NNC said: “The SWEP protocol is used to add an extra safety net and to increase opportunities to engage with harder to reach groups and individuals rough sleeping who are currently refusing support to offer and provide them with emergency accommodation. Individuals affected by rough sleeping across north Northamptonshire are supported throughout the whole year and not just during periods of extreme weather.”