Sun cream appeal for Wrexham’s homeless as charity raises concerns over lack of provision in heatwave

A homeless charity has raised concerns over a council’s lack of provisions for rough sleepers during the current heatwave, as a group looks for donations of suncream to help the homeless.

Wrexham Council said that its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol can only be put into effect during extreme winter conditions.

During February the policy was enacted in response to sub-zero temperatures in the county, during which the authority pledged to provide as much support as possible to Wrexham’s homeless community.

However, Shelter Cymru has criticised the fact that it has no specific plan in place for hot weather conditions, with the mercury consistently hitting the high 20s in the area this week.

Jennie Bibbings, Campaigns Manager for Shelter Cymru, said: “It’s of great concern to Shelter Cymru that not all local authorities have adequate provision for homeless people in this extreme heat despite having a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol for hard winter conditions.

“There are serious health risks to people living on the streets in these very high temperatures and local councils should be well prepared to deal with this problem, especially as extreme weather conditions of all types are becoming increasingly common.”

A Wrexham Council spokesman said that while it has no specific plan for high temperatures, it continues to carry out outreach work in all weather conditions to check on the welfare of those living on the streets.

The spokesman said: “The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol is not triggered by hotter weather, as it is specifically aimed at providing accommodation to rough sleepers during very cold conditions.

“However, we maintain outreach work throughout all weather in order to check on the welfare and health needs of those engaging with services, and if the health of any service users was believed to have been affected by the hot weather, then outreach workers would contact the appropriate agency or emergency services.”

It comes as members of a Facebook group set up to help homeless people in Wrexham have appealed for donations of sun cream to protect people from getting burnt, with a donation drop off point at Vape Power on King Street in town.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).