Members of a group of rough sleepers recently evicted from an encampment on Park Lane are believed to have relocated to locations on Oxford Street. Video footage recently shared online showed a long line of people outside John Lewis, with another group also known to be sleeping by the M&S.
Westminster City Council, the local authority, has confirmed it believes some of them were among those in the Park Lane encampment dismantled by Transport for London (TfL) earlier this summer.
A spokesperson for the council said its rough sleeping teams are out speaking with people across the city seven days a week, and that when they are prepared to engage with officers, “we can offer routes to hostel accommodation and help with addiction and mental health issues”.
The Park Lane encampment, which was established on a patch of land opposite the Hilton hotel by Hyde Park Corner, mirrored a similar site set up last summer closer to Marble Arch. This was also taken down after TfL was granted a possession order by the court.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) recently revealed TfL had spent nearly £37,000 on court fees and instructing bailiffs and legal counsel over the last two years removing people from Park Lane. Further costs are expected from the court this month.
The LDRS visited the Park Lane encampments both this year and last and spoke to several local businesses who raised concerns. One person who runs a nearby restaurant said: “The problem is we try to push them away and they won’t budge out. All I want to do is get rid of them because of the customers. And it’s not good for the area.”
Following the dismantling of the encampment this year, a TfL spokesperson said those sleeping rough at Park Lane “have been made aware that returning to the site is not an option and that they will be removed. As there is no safe option for people to sleep rough at this site, we have also arranged for security staff to patrol the area to discourage people from returning.”
People have been sleeping rough on Oxford Street for years, and it is understood some have been gathering by John Lewis and M&S for at least a few months.
Upon seeing the footage shared online showing the line of makeshift beds, the LDRS asked Westminster City Council if it included any of those previously at Park Lane. The local authority confirmed it believed this to be the case.
The LDRS visited Oxford Street one evening last week, by which point the two groups had begun gathering outside the stores. Several workers at businesses along Oxford Street said they had experienced no issues with the groups themselves though claimed they were aware of issues such as pickpocketing affecting the shopping district. The Met Police was approached for comment.
Conservative West End councillors Paul Fisher and Tim Barnes have previously called for TfL and Westminster to “provide a lasting solution to illegal camps, otherwise we will be back at square one. This is unacceptable at the centre of our capital.”
Commenting on those sleeping on Oxford Street, Cllr Barnes said the issue pre-dates the removal of the tents on Park Lane and that TfL and Westminster City Council should know the groups were linked. He also claimed it is part of a wider problem which has gotten “dramatically worse” over the last couple of years.
He said: “We know that the vast majority of the rough sleepers in the area are part of organised criminal begging gangs but too little joined up action has taken place to put their illicit trade to an end.”
A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “As a local authority we have more rough sleepers than any other part of the country and we spend more than any other local authority – around £8 million a year – to offer rough sleepers a route off the streets.
“The streets of Westminster are not a viable place to live. Across the city, our rough sleeping teams are out seven days a week talking to people living rough. Where they are prepared to engage with us, we can offer routes to hostel accommodation and help with addiction and mental health issues.
“We have more than 380 hostel beds to help those sleeping rough and 100 emergency beds on standby, so the reality is nobody needs to be sleeping on the streets. Those who sleep rough are often characterised with complex needs who, for whatever reason, feel unable to engage with a comprehensive and supportive offer to leave the streets.
“Over the years, we have witnessed those who have been human trafficked, those who are being exploited for criminal behaviour and those with complex mental health or other complex social needs. We work with colleagues across the public sector, including police, social care and health to ensure the right support and interventions are co-ordinated.”
Westminster is by some way the local authority area with the highest number of people sleeping rough. According to Government data, on a single autumn night in 2024 Westminster recorded 388 people on the streets, a rise of 40 per cent compared to 2023.
This compared to 132 people in Camden in second and 86 in the City of London.
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