City of Westminster (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Rough sleepers evicted from a Park Lane encampment are now believed to have relocated to new spots along Oxford Street, Westminster.
A lengthy line of people was shown outside John Lewis in widely circulated online video, and the M&S also claimed that another group of people was dozing off.
The local government, Westminster City Council, has acknowledged that it thinks some of them were among the people at the Park Lane camp that Transport for London (TfL) broke up earlier this summer.
When they are ready to interact with officers, “we can offer routes to hostel accommodation and help with addiction and mental health issues,” according to a council spokesperson. The council’s rough sleeping teams are out talking to people all across the city seven days a week.
Located on a plot of land across from the Hilton hotel on Hyde Park Corner, the Park Lane encampment was a replica of one that was set up near Marble Arch last summer.
After the court awarded TfL a possession order, this was also removed.
Over the past two years, TfL has spent about £37,000 on court expenses, instructing bailiffs, and hiring legal counsel to remove individuals from Park Lane, according to a new report by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). The court is anticipated to impose further costs this month.
The LDRS visited the Park Lane encampments both this year and last and spoke to several local businesses who raised concerns. One person who runs a nearby restaurant said:
“The problem is we try to push them away and they won’t budge out. All I want to do is get rid of them because of the customers. And it’s not good for the area.”
Following the dismantling of the encampment this year, a TfL spokesperson said those sleeping rough at Park Lane
“have been made aware that returning to the site is not an option and that they will be removed. As there is no safe option for people to sleep rough at this site, we have also arranged for security staff to patrol the area to discourage people from returning.”
Oxford Street has seen years of homeless people, and it’s thought that some of them have been congregated by M&S and John Lewis for a few months at the very least.
The LDRS questioned Westminster City Council about whether the web film of the line of improvised beds featured any of the ones that had previously been at Park Lane. The local government attested to its belief that this was the case.
Two groups had already started congregating outside the shops when the LDRS visited Oxford Street one evening last week. Although they acknowledged that the shopping district was affected by concerns like pickpocketing, a number of employees at establishments along Oxford Street stated they had not encountered any problems with the groups directly. A request for comment was made to the Met Police.
Commenting on those sleeping on Oxford Street, Cllr Barnes said the issue pre-dates the removal of the tents on Park Lane and that TfL and Westminster City Council should know the groups were linked. He also claimed it is part of a wider problem which has gotten “dramatically worse” over the last couple of years.
He said:
“We know that the vast majority of the rough sleepers in the area are part of organised criminal begging gangs but too little joined up action has taken place to put their illicit trade to an end.”
A Westminster City Council spokesperson said:
“As a local authority we have more rough sleepers than any other part of the country and we spend more than any other local authority – around £8 million a year – to offer rough sleepers a route off the streets.
The streets of Westminster are not a viable place to live. Across the city, our rough sleeping teams are out seven days a week talking to people living rough. Where they are prepared to engage with us, we can offer routes to hostel accommodation and help with addiction and mental health issues.
We have more than 380 hostel beds to help those sleeping rough and 100 emergency beds on standby, so the reality is nobody needs to be sleeping on the streets. Those who sleep rough are often characterised with complex needs who, for whatever reason, feel unable to engage with a comprehensive and supportive offer to leave the streets.
Over the years, we have witnessed those who have been human trafficked, those who are being exploited for criminal behaviour and those with complex mental health or other complex social needs. We work with colleagues across the public sector, including police, social care and health to ensure the right support and interventions are co-ordinated.”
What measures are being taken to support the movement of rough sleepers to new locations?
Specialized outreach teams from charities such as St Mungo’s and local authorities actively engage with rough sleepers on the streets, offering practical assistance, building trust, and encouraging use of support services.
Emergency shelters and temporary housing options are made available, aiming to quickly move rough sleepers off the streets and into safer environments. Organizations provide essential health checks, addiction support, mental health care, and social services outreach to address complex needs.
Local councils, Transport for London (TfL), police, charities, and health services coordinate efforts to ensure comprehensive support and reduce duplication.