CALLS are being made for homeless provision in Bromsgrove, all year round.

The call, from Bromsgrove Councillor Peter McDonald, follows reports in this paper that Bromsgrove Council pledged to help with a £60,000 boost to increase the number of emergency shelters for rough sleepers across Worcestershire - but there will not be any in town.

Bromsgrove District Council, along with Worcestershire authorities, has awarded a contract to support people at risk of homelessness to Caring for Communities and People (CCP).

Help to prevent single people or childless couples who are at risk of homelessness will rise to £301,500 a year, an increase of £61,500.

It will see the number of emergency shelters for rough sleepers across Worcestershire rise from two to five.

The shelters will be based in Worcester, Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, and Redditch.

The existing two shelters are in Worcester and Redditch - while locations have not yet been agreed for the other three towns.

Cllr McDonald said: "The Tory controlled district council miserably fails to understand the experience of living and sleeping on the street can impact on people's physical and mental health, their self-esteem, their relationships with friends and family, and their ability to keep or find a job.

"It also puts them at risk of violent behaviour and abuse.

"The council’s response to rough sleepers is to kick them out of the district sweeping the problem under the carpet and treating those that are the recipients of the government’s austerity policy as having the plague."

He added: "No one needs to sleep rough in the district of Bromsgrove, shelter should be provided within the district not forcing people out of their hometown and away from family and friends. The council gives tens of thousands of pounds to organisations who give shelter outside the district: the money should be budgeted to provide all year round night shelter within the district.

"The council should face up to its responsibilities and obligations to those unfortunate enough to find themselves on the streets and not treat them as suffering with the plague."

The cllr added he will be moving a motion at the council meeting later this month, calling for the council to provide year round shelter in Bromsgrove.

Cllr Shirley Webb, whose portfolio covers housing, accused cllr McDonald of “jumping on the headline of homelessness".

She said: "Cllr McDonald has failed to mention that Bromsgrove has lowest levels of rough sleeping in the county and therefore places smallest demand  on emergency facilities – which is how the contributions are calculated, using last year’s usage figures.

“We certainly aren’t paying to get rough sleepers housed elsewhere because we don’t have an issue in Bromsgrove in the first place because our Housing Team works hard with partners, including Streetlink to highlight people who are at risk of homelessness, targeting help before they become homeless."

She added: “Homelessness is high on this council’s agenda and the fact that, along with Redditch, we are the only council in Worcestershire to have our own CCP service demonstrates this.”