E-mail to Councillor X & a reply!
NV Editor:
THE e-mail below from John Wilkins of BOLD (Build. Our Local Democracy Group) is addressed to a Rochdale Labour councillor. This correspondence has been inspired by the recent posts on this NV Blog about Rochdale Cllr. Blundell views on homeless beggars. The e-mail exchange below is self explanatory and addresses the concerns with regard to homelessness and the impact of local begging. The name of Councillor X has been redacted by John Wilkins.
We can ony speculate on why Mr. Wilkins thought it necessary to redact the Labour councillors name. But we have decided to respect his decision and to publish the email exchange anyway. One thought that occurs to us about the need to redact of Councillor X's name, is that Mr. Wilkins wishes to protect the Labour councillor from any possible backlash. If this is the case then it seems to suggest that politics in Rochdale is somewhat unhealthy.
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Dear
iiiiiiii
Thank
you for those reassurances. I hesitate to bring up a related issue
because you have responded more times to my communications over a
short period of time you have been in Council compared with all my
local councillors collectively over the last 5 years.
In
a rare visit to Rochdale I visited St. Mary in the Baum Church
ostensibly to see the work of 'Caring and Sharing' only to find I was
on the wrong day but I was able to see the good work being done by
the Red Cross in Rochdale. From there I walked up Yorkshire Street to
do business in a couple of banks. I passed a man sat outside the
Halifax who although he do not ask for money, had a cup in front of
him for money. Further up I passed a man offering to shine shoes for
payment and someone else getting prepared to busk for money. On my
return from the top of Yorkshire Street I passed the the last two
people I mentioned but hoping to give the first man some loose change
I could not see him where he had been originally. Whilst
contemplating whether to visit the market I looked up Yorkshire
Street to see the man I was looking for trudging down the road with
his possessions. I told him I had hoped to see him as I wanted to
give him a couple of coins, which he fumbled, dropping one, before
managing to find a pocket to put them in. His dishevelled appearance
made him look older than my 74 years but he could have been about 50.
His appearance was made worse by a raw wound to his forehead. When
asked how he got it he said he had been resting on a bench when a man
came up to him and hit him without any provocation. He said he had
been moved on from where I had seen him previously by Enforcement
Officers but philosophically he said I had not received much money
because he felt Rochdale people were hard up themselves!! He was on a
waiting list for a shelter but in the meantime I told him about the
Red Cross where he could get a hot drink and on that day a free
haircut.
OK.
common story but having watched the last of a series on rough
sleepless and homeless, this one in Glasgow, I was like the
undercover journalist, impressed by how pro-active the city was in
dealing with the problem. This in one of the poorest cities in
Europe. They were fast-tracking people into accommodation and
although there were many people having to use shelters the number
living rough was down to around 30. The Enforcement Officers have a
job to do but we need to be more humane in how we deal with this
issue which, though I may be wrong, as big an issue here as in some
other towns and cities.
My
question is are these rough sleepers being identified, supported and
found a shelter quickly enough? There will always be a minority who
refuse help but many like the man I met are genuinely destitute and
wanting help.
John
Wilkins
***************
Reply
from Rochdale councillor X:
Good
afternoon John,
As
a society we should not turn a blind eye to what we are seeing on the
streets in our towns and cities and clearly John, you are one of the
many compassionate people who do not 'walk on the other side of the
road’.
Since
my election in May, the issue of Enforcement Officers moving people
on in Rochdale, who they perceive to be begging, has been highlighted
by elected members on at least two occasions, who took the same view
as you, that these vulnerable people need help and support, in order
to persuade them that there are alternatives available. I do know
that the Enforcement Officers have been made aware about our
concerns.
From
September I’ve been working Monday mornings at the Lighthouse
Project foodbank, doing the ‘meet and greet’. I’ve met several
rough sleepers, who have been helped with permanent housing or
temporary accommodation in hostels. The majority, as you would
imagine, do accept the help, but I know of at least one, who is
unwilling to engage.
I
can reassure you that officers and elected members, take the issue of
rough sleepers, very seriously and they are being pro-active in their
efforts to help and support, those who are clearly in need.
A
motion was passed in the Council recently, that called upon the Chief
Executive to write to the Government, asking for powers to be
extended to Andy Burnham, to enable him to raise a local tax from
people who stay in hotels, which would then be used to fund more
projects to help with rough sleeping. Although it’s very unlikely
the Government will agree to this, I think it does send out a message
that concerns are growing about the ongoing problem, which is being
made even more acute by the government’s austerity programme.
Kind
regards,
…................................
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