“Beds for homeless” plan deferred a second time

THE controversial plan to provide eight bedrooms for the homeless at Warrington’s James Lee House Salvation Army hostel has again been deferred.
Members of the borough council’s development management committee failed to reach a decision after debating the issue for more than hour.
Chairman Cllr Tony McCarthy said: “We heard conflicting information and some councillors were in favour of granting approval and others were not. In the end we decided to defer the matter for more information and to start from scratch with a new report.
“We all want to do something for people sleeping rough on the streets – particularly at this time of the year.
“But we were being given conflicting information – some of which was not a planning matter, some of which was more to do with building regulations and some of which was completely irrelevant.”
The plan is recommended for approval by officers.
A report to the committee said that James Lee House offers supported accommodation for single, homeless people with round-the-clock staffing available.
There is support for independent living, including support for finding move-on accommodation, life skills, including good preparation, cooking, budgeting and money management and support for individual needs, including health, social care, we3llbeing and support services.
Residents do not have to vacate their premises during the day and are able to access the facilities, services and provisions available within the building, including breakfast.
The report argued that the eight bedrooms were key to helping tackle an increase in homelessness in the borough and the challenges of rough sleeping.
One of the main issues is the future of Room at the Inn – a charity which provides beds for the homeless in the town centre – and the fear that the council is to withdraw financial support for it if the James Lee House accommodation becomes available.