I WOULD like to comment on the issues of homeless residents being housed in hotels in Weymouth and give clarity to some of the information in the letter sent by a group of councillors to a number of agencies.

Firstly, I would make the point that homeless people are not non-citizens and are not another species – they are human beings and are residents of Dorset. Saying that there has been no effective action on homelessness and rough sleeping is an insult to all of the really good work that is being done by the Lantern Trust, Julian House, Shelter, the Bus Shelter, Dorset Council, local churches and all of the other agencies currently involved.

Society is such that numbers of rough sleeping and homeless people are increasing and in the wake of Covid are likely to increase even more. I’m not saying there are no problems in the area, however anti-social behaviour is a separate issue. Wherever in the town that anti-social behaviour occurs it is not acceptable and should be dealt with through policing and the judiciary. The police have been very proactive across Weymouth and particularly in the area around the Park District.

So councillors, would you please give the whole story and not just the half that suits your arguments. Would you address this issue as you have been elected to address, instead of complaining about it, and would you please represent all of our residents which includes those less fortunate than yourselves. In the current situation, homelessness could happen to any of us, including you.

Name and address supplied.