Labour Pressure District Council to Change Homeless Policy

In 2017 the Conservative led Folkestone and Hythe District Council was asked by a member of the local Labour Party to change its policy of refusing to open the winter shelter unless the temperature dropped to Freezing or below for three consecutive days. That member had asked the council to review its policy so that the winter shelter was open from day one of scheduled or expected freezing temperatures.
At a recent meeting of Folkestone and Hythe District Council Michelle Dorrell, Co-Chair of the local Labour Party, asked the District Council if the policy had been reviewed and if so, what was the outcome. Michelle said, “The District Council informed me that they would open the emergency shelter from day one of freezing temperatures “.
There is a lack of affordable housing and more than 1,000 people on the waiting list.  Michelle added, “It’s about time the District Council listened and treated those families, the vulnerable and the less fortunate as a priority rather than pander to the needs of developers to build executive homes which local people can’t afford”.