Council accused of 'influencing' homeless deaths

The deputy leader of Eastbourne Borough Council has accused Brighton & Hove City Council of "directly influencing" the deaths of two homeless men after they were placed in emergency housing in the town.

Councillor Peter Diplock said placing vulnerable people 20 miles (32km) outside the city was a corporate strategy of "out of sight, out of mind" and that people were being left "to sink or swim" without support.

He has written to East Sussex senior coroner Fiona King asking her to take his concerns into consideration in order to prevent any future avoidable deaths.

Brighton & Hove City Council extended its deepest sympathies to the families and communities affected by the deaths and said it would carefully consider the outcome of the coroner's report to inform further improvements to its approach.

In May this year 177 people were given an out of area (OOA) placement in Eastbourne by BHCC, according to figures seen by the BBC.

That is a significant increase compared with 42 OOA placements 18 months earlier in October 2023.

Mr Diplock said it was "inevitable" that when tenancies break down, the clients "effectively cease to be BHCC's responsibility" and instead responsibility falls to Eastbourne Borough Council

He said: "It is obvious to me that this OOA placement policy is a deliberate choice by BHCC, to help alleviate their homeless challenge by exporting it to Eastbourne."

Mr Diplock, a Liberal Democrat who is also cabinet member for housing, said placing vulnerable clients far away caused "obvious difficulties" and there was often a time lag in information about people's needs being passed over.

He said: "The clients placed in Eastbourne by BHCC are some of the most challenging and vulnerable in our society.

"Removal from familiar places, far from friends, family, existing support networks, and their well-established health services, leaves the people placed here isolated and without effective support.

"Registering with a GP and other health services is difficult if not impossible."

He added: "The consequence of this is untimely death; and a failure by BHCC to properly serve the people they are responsible for."

Councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: "Brighton & Hove City Council is operating within the constraints of a national housing crisis, with over 100,000 households in temporary accommodation across England.

"The demand for housing far exceeds supply, and our priority remains to prevent homelessness wherever possible. We have invested significantly in early intervention services and have one of the highest prevention rates in the south east.

"Where temporary accommodation is necessary, we aim to place households within or near the city. However, due to limited availability and affordability, out-of-area placements are sometimes unavoidable. These decisions are never taken lightly, and we work to ensure that placements are safe, supported, and communicated appropriately.

"We are committed to improving our processes, including strengthening information sharing with receiving authorities and enhancing welfare checks."

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