Concerns raised in Bury St Edmunds about ‘increasing’ number of rough sleepers - as new strategy launched

Concern has been raised about people sleeping rough in Bury St Edmunds.

A number of residents called SuffolkNews this week after witnessing people sleeping in doorways and tents in and around the town centre.

It comes in the same week West Suffolk Council pledged a further £612,200 towards a new Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy across the district, launched on Tuesday.

One resident, who preferred not to be named, said: “I've been out running in the mornings and at times it's like a scene from Shaun of the Dead.

“One morning I found a young lad laying in the street by a barbers shop, unconscious. He’d obviously been there all night in minus temperatures and I called for an ambulance.

“There was also a tent in the middle of Northgate roundabout with someone urinating on the road, tents in the meadows near Premier Inn, and someone I can only describe as zombified walking on Fornham Road.”

Mark Cordell, CEO of Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID), said he felt there has been a ‘definite increase’ in rough sleeping, with other reported areas including the arc underground car park.

According to West Suffolk Council there were five rough sleepers in Bury, recorded up to the end of last month. It says numbers change ‘daily’.

Staff at West Suffolk Hospital A&E department said they have also seen a rise in the number of people with problems connected with addiction, homelessness and eviction.

They said: “Life is tougher, services are stretched, and more and more people not getting their needs met across the board.

“We see a lot of people who are homeless, more people who have been evicted, people who are rough sleeping, people who have nowhere to turn and feel like A&E’s doors are the only ones open.”

The council’s new funding agreement follows a £1 million investment already committed towards district housing issues.

The new investment includes £50,000 for studies to bring empty homes into use, £62,000 for a homelessness prevention scheme and £500,000 to explore options to increase the housing supply.

Homelessness figures show a 64 per cent increase in households threatened with homelessness and eligible for prevention duty over the past three years - from 204 during the 2021/22 financial year to 315 in 2023/24 — but still lower 2019/20, with 375 households.

Households assessed as homeless has remained stable at around 570 – slightly higher than the 524 figure for the 2019/20 financial year, but lower than the peak of 681 in 2020/21.

Earlier this year, West Suffolk Council asked residents, town and parish councils, housing associations, local NHS trusts, care providers and developers to share their views on the challenges faced around housing as well as possible actions the council could take to address them.

The new Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy aims to help more people to afford a decent and secure home, support residents by improving living conditions and reduce the impact on health and social care, reduce homelessness and rough sleeping.

On the issue of rough sleeping, Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, cabinet member for housing, added: “We are continuing to do all that we can to encourage those who are rough sleeping in West Suffolk to take up the support available to them.

“Many of the people on the streets have complex needs such as needing support with their mental health or to help them overcome addiction to drink or drugs.

“Our new strategy includes greater intervention work with partners in health and housing to further prevent homelessness and rough sleeping wherever we can.”

Mark Cordell, CEO, of BID, said: “Street drinking and homelessness has become a more prominent issue in the town centre in recent months and has definitely had a negative impact upon the perception of the town and some of our businesses.

“The BID has a good relationship with West Suffolk Council in regards of these issues and I know that they are working hard to provide appropriate accommodation for those who are homeless. Undoubtedly this additional funding will help them achieve this and hopefully reduce the need for tents being lived in, across the town.”

With regard to anti-social behaviour and street drinking, Cllr Donna Higgins, cabinet member for families and communities at West Suffolk Council, said: “West Suffolk Council is working with police and other partners to try to tackle issues of anti-social behaviour in the town and we would ask anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour to report it to the police.

“A public space protection order, which was renewed by the council, gives police greater powers to deal with the issue alongside their power to arrest wherever a crime has been committed.

“Some, but not all the anti-social behaviour is being caused by people who are homeless. Some of these are people who we have accommodated and are actively working with to try to address any issues they may have including addiction and mental health.

“Sadly, their actions risk jeopardising their accommodation, but we are continuing to try to do all that we can to help them.

“The street drinkers also include some who are rough sleeping – people who are homeless and who are sleeping outside. We have, and we are continuing to try to encourage them to accept our help and any support for addiction and mental health that they may need.”

If you see someone you see or suspect someone is sleeping rough, you can repoit it via StreetLink, which alerts West Suffolk Council Rough Sleeper Team

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