DOCTORS have claimed the state of emergency accommodation in the city could contribute to a rise in homeless deaths.

A group of health professionals have written to Brighton and Hove City Council to express concern that numbers will increase if action is not taken, The Argus can reveal.

The council and one of the city’s leading landlords rejected the claims, saying they did not recognise any causative link between standards of emergency accommodation and homeless deaths and said the doctors’ worries were more to do with the support services needed by residents than the quality of accommodation provided by responsible landlords.

But officers and councillors are considering the implications of the document and meeting with the doctors for further discussions.

It comes as Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas has called for a new approach to housing the homeless, claiming the current policy is not fit for purpose.

Questions have also been raised over council bosses awarding private companies multi-million pound contracts to provide the accommodation.

Dr Tim Worthley, leading GP on homelessness for the city’s clinical commissioning group who is based at the Morely Street homeless surgery, was one who signed the letter.

He said it is a "dreadful" situation, adding, "council budgets are being cut, more than 20,000 people on the waiting list for housing and no easy answers".

The council pays a handful of private companies and landlords to provide emergency accommodation with one of the biggest, Baron Homes Corporation Ltd, paid almost £16 million the use of flats and bedsits across the city.

High-rise block of 48 flats Windsor Court, in Windsor Street, Brighton, is the largest it manages.

Ms Lucas said 36 residents over four years had contacted her to complain about living there.

She said: "The residents are the most vulnerable people in our community. I do realise the council has real challenges because of housing shortages, government cuts and less resources. But more needs to be done to improve the system and there are simple, inexpensive measures which could be put in place."

She wants the council to build its own property, set up a transparent and public board to scrutinise the quality and hold landlords to account, and urged councillors to visit the buildings.

She thinks council officers should complete spot checks without notifying landlords - rather than giving four days' notice as is current practice.

Meanwhile residents have formed an action group calling for change, with thousands signing a petition. In response councillors will look at alternative council-owned sites.

Councillor Anne Meadows, chairman of the housing and new homes committee, said the Labour administration was "working constructively" with contracted landlords, adding: "We do take very seriously the concerns being voiced by some residents that standards in our emergency accommodation are not always appearing to be maintained - despite performance monitoring and regular inspections."

A council spokesman said: "We do not recognise any link between the emergency temporary accommodation itself and the causes of death of people who have unfortunately died on the premises."

They described monitoring as "robust" but admitted: "We are aware that in some areas there are concerns standards appear not to be being maintained and we are actively working with those providers to address the issues."

A Baron Homes spokesman said the company believes it is "important to provide emergency accommodation for some of the most marginalised in society" and it "has provided emergency accommodation for a number of years and is proud of the service it has given and the contribution it has made to its city".

The company said the standard of its premises consistently met contractual requirements in spite of the challenging circumstances and it had "no reason to believe the council had not complied with its duty to obtain best value for the tax payer".

The spokesman said the council checks the flats to make sure they pass the necessary tests and residents were, to the company's knowledge, happy with the "state and suitability" of the flats.

He said there would be no agreement with the council if the company was "solely interested in making money".

He added: "It could make far more in the private market. But it feels strongly about Brighton’s needs for emergency accommodation. The management of emergency accommodation is manifestly difficult and uniquely challenging but it is something which my client feels passionately about and it believes that it excels in its role."

HEALTH EXPERTS CALL FOR SHELTER REVIEW

HEALTH professionals have condemned the state of emergency accommodation in Brighton and Hove and called for an immediate review of the process.

Dr Tim Worthley, of the Brighton Homeless Healthcare centre in Morley Street, and six health professionals and service providers wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council with a list of concerns and recommendations for improvements.

Professionals who also signed the letter include Dr Chris Sargeant, a leading clinician of Islington’s primary drug care service and a senior lecturer in medical education at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and Erin Patten, a manager of the mental health homeless team at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The document said: “We have for many years been gravely concerned by the quality of emergency accommodation (EA) provided by our council.

“Sadly we see this situation worsening. We are fearful for the health of the most vulnerable persons in our city who find themselves placed in this accommodation, and the ramifications of this for our city.”

The Argus asked to review the evidence on which the doctors have based their report but was told it could not be made available, nor would they specify which premises in the city provide the basis for the claims.

The doctors say their opinions are based on visits to premises, the personal observations of health professionals and anecdotal evidence gathered from patients.

The report claimed the standards of the EA were often “unclean, unhygienic, cold, damp, dark, unsafe” and difficult for those with mobility issues to access.

It said management staff were “overstretched”, not properly trained and unaware of safety requirements and there was a “total lack” of information available to residents.

The group warned the conditions could lead to more deaths, extra unplanned use of accident and emergency and ambulance services, worsening mental and physical health, more homelessness and soaring financial costs.

The letter recognised the “enormous strain” the council was under in the wake of cuts but made what it felt were “realistic” recommendations which could make a material difference without a huge strain on the public purse.

It called for: l An immediate, independent review of the condition of the buildings looking at security, windows, damp, lighting, electricity, pest control, infection control and sanitation.

l The company in charge of the buildings should have clear guidance on how to manage it – including safety checks on staff, mandatory training, “clear lines of accountability” and better information on procedures and contractual agreements for residents.

l A emergency accommodation board should be set up for providers, residents, landlords, elected figures and council officers to review conditions, complaints and evictions at public meetings.

l Longer term actions include publishing a green and red list of accommodation by standards, support for tenants and committing to a level of investment to improve the conditions by taking notice of what other local authorities have done.

A council spokesman said it does not recognise any link between the emergency temporary accommodation itself and the causes of death of people who have died on the premises.

They said the coroner had not issued any findings against the accommodation or made any recommendations for it.

The spokesman added: “We are in regular dialogue with Dr Worthley and are grateful for his contribution.

“The concerns he has expressed to us are more around the support offered to people in our temporary accommodation, rather than the actual bricks-and-mortar accommodation itself.

“The council has a duty to provide support for people who have needs that have been assessed as requiring our support.

“Our adult social care team works very hard with a number of organisations to deliver this support.”

They added its new rough sleeping strategy should reduce the number of people requiring temporary EA and improve support.

The spokesman said the paper contained “minor issues about repairs”, adding: “We have provided assurances that contracts have detailed specifications and so any arising issues should be dealt with through contract management. If they become aware of any specific issues, they should be report them to us so we can deal with them.”

A spokesman for the Baron Homes Corporation Ltd, which holds the biggest council contract for emergency accommodation, said the assertion that standards of emergency accommodation generally are contributing to homeless deaths was “disgraceful” and “beggars belief”.

Last year 21 patients registered at Dr Worthley’s homeless surgery died, he has previously told The Argus.

On average they were in their forties and this is a 33 per cent rise on figures in the last three years. He fears that number will continue to rise unless the city’s emergency accommodation policy is changed.

THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS IN THE HUNT FOR LOW-COST HOUSING

SHORTAGE of housing and the provision of emergency accommodation is not a new problem.

It is something which has been a concern in Brighton and Hove for years and an answer still remains to be found.

There is an evident lack of low-cost housing in the city, a homelessness crisis, council budget cuts and very little publicly owned accommodation which leaves large numbers of residents finding themselves in emergency or temporary flats as they wait to find their feet.

Rough sleepers, those struggling financially or anyone unable to stay in their existing home could find themselves in emergency accommodation.

These could be victims of domestic abuse, those forced out of a home due to a family breakdown or redundancy, or have mental and physical health problems.

With permanent council housing space at a premium and a lengthy waiting list, residents are sometimes faced with months or even years in the properties.

A charity, Justlife, has launched in the city to support single homeless people who find themselves in this position.

The high turnaround of residents inevitably means there is a constant demand for repairs and work on the buildings.

Each election the council administration passes the burden on to the next one, relying on payments of taxpayers’ money to private companies in exchange for space in their properties in contracts which continue to be renewed.

Private companies like Baron Homes are paid by the council to provide “good quality self-contained temporary accommodation and reducing the dependence on emergency B&B accommodation”, a report said.

In the case of Windsor Court, contracts between Brighton and Hove City Council and Baron Homes Corporation Ltd date back to 2006 and the terms were more recently renewed last year.

Before that rooms were booked on a nightly basis but the council said it could not confirm how long the arrangement was in place or how much money was spent during this arrangement.

A council spokesman said it recently undertook a procurement exercise to obtain accommodation which would also be managed for use as emergency accommodation and the contracts are detailed in relation to accommodation and management standards expected.

They added that “given the difficulties in obtaining such accommodation within the city and surrounding areas, we need to work with our providers to enable them to deliver the standards to people who can have quite complex needs” but added they are “confident” all providers are positively engaged and motivated to achieving that end.

Councillors said they were aware of concerns and looking for solutions.

Anne Meadows, chairwoman of the council’s housing and new homes committee, said providing emergency accommodation is “very challenging when demand is high and the cost of housing in the city is so expensive”.

She said the Labour administration was working constructively with all contracted landlords for emergency accommodation and tackling all aspects of the city’s housing problems by providing new and affordable housing, improving standards in houses in multiple occupation and combating homelessness and rough sleeping.

In March, Councillor David Gibson, the committee’s Green Party spokesman, called for more frequent inspections of emergency accommodation and regular reports on the outcomes at council meetings. It came as thousands of people signed a petition for change in the way the council handled the policy and the launch of an emergency accommodation tenants action group.

Cllr Gibson asked for residents to complete satisfaction surveys when using emergency accommodation and that there should be a policy of only using sites where hot water is guaranteed.

He said the search for alternative council-owned sites should be a matter of priority, including looking at using “flat-pack” Y Cube homes and containers rather than traditional construction methods.

His requests were accepted by the council and discussed at a meeting last month. Councillors agreed the ideas would be considered at the next meeting in September.

Speaking to The Argus, he said: “It’s very positive that residents have taken very brave steps and got together to form a residents’ action group and I think the council should work with residents and landlords to improve matters and conditions as a matter of urgency.

“There is a general concern a lot of money is being spent by the council for homeless accommodation which goes to private landlords and it would be better if the council provided our own accommodation then at least the money would come back and be reinvested. Enfield Council has saved over £1 million over two years by setting up a council-owned house-buying company for temporary accommodation.”

Some 2,200 people live in temporary or emergency accommodation in the city, The Argus reported in May. Figures obtained by this newspaper showed more than a third were in rent arrears totalling £1.4 million as of March this year. One resident had racked up debts of more than £22,000.

Andy Winter, Brighton Housing Trust chief executive, said a significant reduction in funding for advice services meant there was less support to guide residents through the complex welfare system.

The council said 98 per cent of rents for emergency accommodation had been collected and that some debts were due to housing benefit being paid in arrears.

COMPANY ASSETS OF MORE THAN £100M

THE company that has a multi-million-pound contract with the council to offer emergency accommodation operates out of city centre offices and has more than £100 million in property assets.

Nazila Blencowe, 52, is the director of Baron Homes Corporation Ltd which owns at least 18 buildings in the city, according to records held by Companies House, and its 2015 accounts show total assets of £101 million.

It is being paid almost £16 million by the council in exchange for the use of flats and bedsits across the city including in houses in Grand Parade and Belvedere Terrace, Brighton, Brunswick Place in Hove and more than 100 other rooms.

This contract is made up of £13 million of taxpayers’ money to manage the properties over four years and nearly £2.8 million paid in three separate discretionary payments. This money covers rent for residents when their housing benefit is not enough. The current lease began in 2015 and lasts until 2024, according to the council.

The company is paid £195 a week in housing benefit for a one-bedroom flat in Windsor Court, according to the council, which could amount to £480,000 a year.

Baron Homes’ offices in Prince Albert Street, Brighton, are owned by another company where Mrs Blencowe is listed as a director – Baron Management Limited. Part of this building is leased to a solicitors’ firm, Land Registry documents said.

Real estate business Chestnut Development Co Ltd, West Acre UK Investments Ltd, letting company Baron Developments (Brighton) Ltd are among other properties registered to this building with Mrs Blencowe and one of her sons, Michael, listed as directors.

Another son, film producer Martin Blencowe, is a former director of Baron Homes Corporation Ltd. He lives in America but was born in Brighton.

During his time here he raised more than £8,000 to buy ventilation equipment for the high dependency unit at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

A Baron Homes spokesman said the Blencowe family had taken part in an “enormous amount of charity work” in support of the Rockinghorse charity.