Rough sleepers offered emergency shelter as UK temperatures plummet
Share:
Councils have received extra support to get homeless people off the streets amid cold weather warnings across the country. Rough sleepers across the UK have been offered emergency shelter amid freezing temperatures. Councils have used the severe weather emergency protocol (Swep) to provide a bed for the night for rough sleepers as much of the country experiences a cold snap.
![[A homeless person takes shelter under scaffolding in Windsor, Berkshire on Christmas Eve, 2024]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d1a6b3799638b336cf006de9ff54cf8fca1910ae/0_0_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Each council has its own criteria for deploying Swep, but it is generally adopted when temperatures fall below 0C or an ice and snow weather warning is issued. Sweps have also been used during heatwaves to prevent heatstroke and dehydration. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We know, as the temperature drops, things become even more difficult for those on the streets, and councils will be considering whether to activate their severe weather emergency protocol.” The spokesperson added that the ministry had supported councils by providing an extra £10m in November – approximately £32,000 each.
“We are also providing £1bn funding for homelessness over the next year, including the largest ever investment in preventive services, to support councils to get more rough sleepers off the street and stop people sleeping rough in the first place,” the spokesperson said.
A Met Office spokesperson said temperatures had plummeted to a low of -8.6C in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, overnight into Saturday. An amber warning for snow and rare freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and Liverpool and Manchester, is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday.
