Throughout March 2011, Westminster City Council conducted a consultation on the introduction of a byelaw to tackle rough sleeping and soup runs in the area around Cathedral Piazza in Victoria.

The byelaw was proposed as a last resort. Despite a decade of efforts to resolve the issue, no solution had been reached which satisfied both local residents and other interested parties.

In just a few years, through the committed work of local charities, council officers and others, the number of people sleeping rough on Westminster’s streets has fallen by two-thirds. People have managed to turn their lives around by being given access to services which have a genuine impact on their futures. However, with around 100 people still sleeping rough in Westminster, we know there is still much more to do.

We strongly believe that soup runs are not the answer and that they do not tackle the root causes of homelessness. Our figures indicate that just 13 people regularly sleep rough in the area, but soup runs frequently attract more than 100 people into what is essentially a residential part of the city.

Understandably, the consultation sparked a great deal of public debate. The first thing it made clear is that a ban on rough sleeping would not be widely supported. Such a ban would be very difficult to enforce and would be a less effective means of achieving our aims. We will, therefore, no longer be progressing with the rough sleeping part of the byelaw.

However, the soup runs part of the byelaw received a very different response. While some respondents were opposed to banning the free distribution of food in the area, a great many were in favour of this part of the byelaw.

For now, we will continue to hold discussions with relevant parties to find the best way of dealing with the volume and frequency of soup runs around Cathedral Piazza. This will take the form of an eight week Discussion and Resolution period. Depending on the outcome of these discussions it might, regrettably, still be necessary to pursue the legislative route based on the proposals we have already consulted on.

Rough sleepers in central London do need access to nutritious, free or cheap meals. My unswerving view is that these needs are best met by encouraging the use of indoor services, where people can be looked after and supported with dignity.

I hope that we can now can harness the strength of feeling on both sides of this debate, and put our collective energies towards a solution we can all be satisfied with – providing for rough sleepers in the safest and most effective way possible.

Cllr Daniel Astaire, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Health

You can download our full report 'Transforming Lives - Westminster City Council's approach to rough sleeping' below.