A SHOP DOORWAY, WEST SUFFOLK – In a chilling response to the plight of Suffolk’s homeless population. West Suffolk Council has issued guidance on how to keep warm – build an ice cave.
By Colin Allcabs, Consumer Editor
The guidance, presented on a sheet of A4 paper. Not only provides instructions and diagrams on constructing temporary street accommodations out of snow and ice but also generously doubles as a bed sheet.
Council caves in
Facing criticism for budgetary allocations favouring resettling Afghan and Ukrainian refugees to the tune of £320,000. Whilst leaving the county’s long-term British homeless population exposed to the winter elements, the council’s latest move is just ‘taking the piss’ say some.
The detailed instructions, complete with illustrations. Guide the homeless in crafting makeshift shelters using the very elements that have made this season such a challenge. Thankfully, the instructions demonstrate how an ‘air vent’ should be incorporated into the cave. Guidance that some Tory councillors were alleged to have wanted omitted.
Rough Justice
As the controversy over spending priorities heats up, critics argue that perhaps the council could have explored alternative solutions beyond turning the streets of Suffolk into a scene from Scott of the Antarctic. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Rough Sleeping Strategy found in a 2020 report that 6% of UK nationals who slept rough had served in the Armed Forces, plunging the Council’s ‘dagger of indifference’ even deeper.
While the idea of turning snow into shelter may seem good enough for the Inuit. The reality is that a significant portion of the British population faces the prospect of a winter season. Marked by cold nights and biting winds. Whether the guidance will be received as a well-intentioned yet misguided attempt to address homelessness or a frosty-fingered ‘Fuck You’ remains to be seen.
Council guidance
As the ice caves begin to take shape on the streets of Suffolk. The juxtaposition of holiday warmth and icy realities leaves many wondering if this is truly the season of goodwill to all.