The UK’s ‘wokest’ city sends homeless people to live in seaside town | UK | News
(stock image) A homeless man on Brighton beach (Image: Getty)
A popular seaside resort known as one of Britain’s ‘wokeest’ cities has been accused of dumping homeless people at another town 20 miles away. Brighton, a left-wing wonderland, is a sought-after destination for those traveling from London and looking to shop near the beach.
The progressive city elected a Green Party MP at the last general election and the Labour-run council has made Brighton one of the few Sanctuary Cities in the UK offering benefits to those seeking refugee status and asylum. But although it offers solace to those fleeing persecution abroad, the same welcome does not appear to extend to the city’s current homeless population.
Residents of nearby Eastbourne, a short drive from the beach, claimed their town was being used by Brighton and Hove City Council to keep rough sleepers “out of sight and out of mind”.
Daniel Hylands, who became homeless a few years ago, told The Telegraph he was effectively kicked out of Brighton, the city where he grew up. He said: “They literally got me a taxi and sent me all the way here. They dumped me here.”
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Brighton is one of England’s most ‘woke’ cities but has turned its back on homeless people (Image: Getty)
Mr Hylands, who is being treated for disability in Brighton he told the newspaper It had changed completely after the maintenance workers were sent to Eastbourne.
“I had a social worker [my] adult disability. “I had a lot of support in Brighton but the social workers who brought me here are not the same,” he said.
Brighton and Hove Borough Council sent 42 people to be housed in Eastbourne in 2023, but that number had risen to 171 as of January this year, according to Eastbourne Borough Council.
Nick Carpenter, 45, a father of three, was left homeless when he split from his partner in October last year. He told the Mail that he too had been sent to Eastbourne.
he said Mail Online: “I’m out of my comfort zone in Eastbourne. I have no friends, family or support network here. It’s hard trying to start over in a foreign place.”
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Eastbourne is known as a popular retirement location (Image: Getty)
Alex Haward, of Christian homelessness charity Matthew 25, says between 70 and 80 new people from Brighton in Eastbourne have trusted them since the end of 2024.
He said: “We’re not overwhelmed yet but things have gotten a lot busier in the last few years.
“I disagree with the policy. Councils are rounding up very vulnerable people and taking them away from their families, friends and support networks and then dumping them in Eastbourne.”
Eastbourne Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde said accommodation in Eastbourne for people coming from Brighton was being provided without appropriate support, GB News reported.
“No one should be treated this way. No one should be dehumanized like this and placed in a shelter, no matter where, without the support they need to eventually be able to stand on their own feet. I think it’s inexcusable,” he said.
The MP added: “Poor sleeping is much more common than before. Camps have been created, disproportionately made up of people from outside the county. In some cases, temporary accommodation placements have failed.”
Brighton has some of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, with one in 77 residents reportedly rough sleeping.
Councilor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “We have some of the best figures in the South East for preventing homelessness, but the demand for emergency and temporary accommodation far outstrips what is available to us in the city.
“This means that although we prioritize keeping people in Brighton and Hove, we sometimes have no choice but to use emergency accommodation outside the city.”
He added: “We do not comment on individuals and their circumstances, but when we need to relocate homeless people out of area we work closely with neighboring local authorities and have a team dedicated to supporting people in temporary accommodation.”
