Is There A Split On The Cards...?

A homeless camp has been cleared after a court order was granted.

Tents and other items were taken from the illegal site off Cliff Gardens near Genting Casino by Southend Council.

Probably simply to move to another squalid encampment a few yards down the road, for the whole charade to begin again.

But there's encouraging signs that some, at least, are starting to realise the key to the issue:

Councillor Tony Cox, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim is to get people off the streets, into dedicated accommodation where relevant support services are on hand to tackle the complex personal circumstances that often contribute to an individual’s homelessness.

“We also recognise many of the town’s homeless are from outside the area and we first work hard to re-connect them to the communities they have left.

“This is an important area where we differ in approach from some volunteer groups, who work hard to raise funds and distribute tents to the town’s homeless.

“Encouraging homeless people to camp rather than use the dedicated homeless accommodation means that campers are not accessing the services that could turn their lives around and get them off the streets.”

It's a start. But target the biggest, not the little fish.