Westminster Council has met with soup run providers to seek a solution over their distribution of free food in and around Westminster Cathedral.

At a meeting on Saturday (May 20), discussions were held on how the council can work with soup run providers to help to find ways in which volunteers can give their time to help the homeless.

The consensus among those attending is that indoor provision of indoor soup runs is the most preferable route forward.

A committee, made up of providers, homeless charities, residents and the council, has now been established to look at the options to do this.

Westminster wants to work with soup run providers to reach a long-term arrangement to get people off the street and into long-term support to help improve their lives.

The council has decided not to proceed with the rough sleeping byelaw in a designated area in Victoria and its aim is to see whether there are alternatives to a soup run byelaw. If no solution can be found, the council will look to progress the byelaw.

Cllr Daniel Astaire, Westminster Council’s cabinet member for adult services and health, said: "Our entire approach to homelessness and rough sleeping is about improving people’s lives.

"We don’t believe that soup runs in their current form help to achieve this and this meeting is one of the many steps we will take to see if we can address these concerns while supporting soup run volunteers in their laudable aim of helping those in need.

"There is willingness from all sides to harness our collective resources to explore a way forward – most immediately through the establishment of the committee - and I hope that all parties will rise to the challenge to avoid having to go down the legislative route.

Jeremy Swain, Thames Reach Chief Executive, said:

“The meeting was extremely constructive. This is an issue that invokes a passionate response and it was valuable to have an open and frank exchange.

“The consensus is that indoor provision of soup runs is the best option to explore, as well as the contribution volunteers can make in other settings, such as hostels. To find a practical solution will require on-going dialogue between residents, the soup run providers, charities and the council – and this meeting has been helpful in paving the way to do this.”

Charity Thames Reach, The Passage and Crisis as well a number of soup providers and residents were among those who attended the meeting at Westminster City Hall. 

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