SLOUGH’s handling of the homeless issue gripping the town has been called ‘illegal’ by an opposition councillor figure – with no clear plan to tackle the problem published since 2008.

Councillor Darren Morris (Cons. Haymill and Lynch Hill) has pointed out that Slough Borough Council’s homeless strategy is outdated – claiming it is therefore in breach of the Homelessness Act 2002.

The legislation states that an authority should bring out ensure that a new homelessness strategy for their district is brought out published within five years of the last strategy being published.

Slough’s current Homelessness Strategy was published in 2008, meaning the borough should have had a new plan in place by 2013.

Cllr Morris said: “How can you prevent homelessness without years of a housing and homeless strategy in place? The current policies created by SBC have caused a Little Britain “computer says no” culture, geared to not helping the single homeless in our town, but pushing them onto the streets.”

Cllr Morris also claimed that more people had died as a result of living on the streets in the area than official figures suggest.

Slough Borough Council have registered two deaths in the last two years as a direct result of sleeping on the street, however Slough charity SHOC (Slough Homeless Our Concern) claim that there have been six.

Cllr Morris questioned the legality of the borough’s homeless strategy, pointing out that it is outdated and in breach of the Homelessness Act 2002.

The legislation states that an authority should ensure that a new homelessness strategy for their district is published within five years of the last strategy being published.

Slough’s current Homelessness Strategy was published in 2008, meaning the borough should have had a new plan by 2013.

Cllr Morris said: “How can you prevent homelessness without years of a housing and homeless strategy in place? The current policies created by SBC have caused a Little Britain “computer says no” culture, geared to not helping the single homeless in our town but pushing them onto the streets.”

Cllr Morris added: “Since 2008 SBC has been more intent in delivering unaffordable showpiece housing schemes.

“Instead its priority should have been delivering a housing and homeless strategy which would have kept those sleeping rough off our streets and alive.”

The Conservative representative also called for a an independent investigation in to the past and present of housing services in Slough.

Paul Thomas, head of housing at SBC since April 2016, said: “I don’t know why a new homelessness strategy was not drawn up sooner. Our services have continued but the strategy is outdated. We should have a new homelessness strategy by the end of September this year.”

Slough’s homelessness prevention plan - a different document - has gone to public consultation until next Friday as part of the council’s overall housing strategy.

Mr Thomas added: “We want to work on health issues because essentially rough sleeping is a symptom of a number of other things like alcoholism, trauma, and mental health.

“It will be a more rigorous strategy, an action plan of what we’re going to do, not just words - a strategy with teeth.

“No local authority in the country can claim to end rough sleeping, but we’d like to halve the number of people on the streets with a multi-agency approach.”