According to the Press Association, "Soup runs for the homeless will not be banned from a part of central London after a council U-turn". It seems that the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young, has said that Westminster City Council will take an "enlightened approach" to the problem of rough-sleepers who congregate around Westminster Cathedral's piazza. It also appears that Westminster City is to follow the advice of groups like The Passage, by engaging in dialogue with soup-runners, instead of trying to legislate against them.
Today's Press Association report also said that, according to Sir George Young MP, "[the] Tory-run authority was now seeking a 'non-legislative approach' but soup kitchens were more desirable when operating from 'established' buildings rather than on-the-street." Sir George also told his opposite number, Hilary Benn MP, that, "The portfolio holder at Westminster City Council (Cllr Daniel Astaire) has made it clear he wants a non-legislative solution. He plans to have discussions with those running the soup runs. It is already the case that two soup run providers have agreed to provide their services within a more settled environment and I welcome that."
The Leader of the House of Commons also highlighted "some of the comments made by those helping rough sleepers about the desirability of trying to focus the soup runs within an established building rather than having a magnet which attracts rough sleepers from all over the capital." He also went on to say, "I very much hope we are at one on rough sleepers and that we can support Westminster City Council and the enlightened approach which they are now taking."
This is the best way to proceed regarding this issue. Catholics can be proud of the fact that Westminster Cathedral's own homelessness mission, The Passage, was amongst those who led the way in bridging the gap between the City's Council and those who seem to think that a sandwich and a cup-of-tea are the only things needed to tackle London's huge homelessness problem. Hopefully, both the Council and those soup-runners who come into Westminster from other parts of the country will have enough humility to admit that both sides might have made mistakes.
Today's Press Association report also said that, according to Sir George Young MP, "[the] Tory-run authority was now seeking a 'non-legislative approach' but soup kitchens were more desirable when operating from 'established' buildings rather than on-the-street." Sir George also told his opposite number, Hilary Benn MP, that, "The portfolio holder at Westminster City Council (Cllr Daniel Astaire) has made it clear he wants a non-legislative solution. He plans to have discussions with those running the soup runs. It is already the case that two soup run providers have agreed to provide their services within a more settled environment and I welcome that."
The Leader of the House of Commons also highlighted "some of the comments made by those helping rough sleepers about the desirability of trying to focus the soup runs within an established building rather than having a magnet which attracts rough sleepers from all over the capital." He also went on to say, "I very much hope we are at one on rough sleepers and that we can support Westminster City Council and the enlightened approach which they are now taking."
Although Westminster City Council's consultation on rough sleepers will continue until tomorrow, it now appears that the local authority will now shift its emphasis from legislation (which would never work) to dialogue and and appeal to common sense (which already appears to be working).
It seemed that many misunderstood where I was coming from in my first post (here) on this issue. The truth is that I never wanted the City Council to legislate against rough-sleepers or soup-runners - I don't believe in draconian laws at the best of times. Like The Passage, many other homelessness charities, and professional service providers, my hope is that those well-meaning people who come into London to run the abundance of soup runs around the Cathedral's piazza, and who sometimes dismpower the homeless, will begin to act more responsibly. I also hope that those men and women who are attracted to the streets of London may find their way to places like The Passage, which offers them a "hand up" not just a "hand out".
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