§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the number of people in London who are(a) rough sleepers, (b) accommodated in hostels and (c) concealed as homeless and sharing accommodation. [168]
§ Mr. Raynsford[holding answer 20 May 1997]Comprehensive data on the numbers of rough sleepers and on persons accommodated in hostels in London are not available. However, counts of rough sleepers in Central London are conducted on a regular basis and the most recent one, on 14 November 1996, found 357 people sleeping rough in Central London areas plus Whitechapel, the City and W1 and W2. Counts were also conducted in a number of other London Boroughs during the summer of 1996 and the numbers of rough sleepers found were as follows
Number Barnet 2 Ealing 24 Hammersmith and Fulham 19 Kensington and Chelsea 25 Richmond on Thames 12 Tower Hamlets (areas not covered in regular count) 8 Waltham Forest 2 Information on households sharing non-self contained accommodation is available from the annual Survey of English Housing. The latest data are for 1995–96, when around 140,000 households in London were sharing in non-self contained accommodation. The Department's mid-1995 household estimate for London includes about 30,000 "concealed households" (married couples or lone parents living with relatives or friends) not included in the households sharing non-self-contained accommodation as they are not living as separate households. A number of these sharing/concealed households will be adequately housed and not seeking alternative accommodation.