UK county where desperate locals live in ‘tents, buses and tombstone huts’

Locals do everything they can to find shelter; many are in tents or sleeping in their cars, but perhaps the most extraordinary find was a small hut built from old tombstones. This little hideaway even had a camouflaged door to hide the occupant from the authorities: “When that door is closed, you have no idea,” Joe said. “Absolutely shocking to see the living, living among the dead.”

A local dog walker revealed that encountering homeless encampments was a daily occurrence. She described how she reported one or two to authorities after “not seeing any movement for several days”, fearing the person inside might need medical attention, reports Cornwall Live.

“There are a lot of homeless people with the housing crisis,” she added. “A lot of people are in temporary housing and those who don’t get temporary housing get tents and also there are a lot of people who buy from the country and on local wages people can’t afford to buy.”

Cornwall County Council spends more than £10 million on temporary accommodation each year, further enriching hoteliers and property owners, but doing little for people who need permanent housing.

The council purchased a holiday park called Sandbank Holidays in January 2022 as part of a £15 million property package to provide good quality temporary accommodation for 20 families.

Despite repeated promises that tenants would move in “within days,” it remains empty. Right next door to the Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay, where locals are currently being housed by the council, is a new development of luxury homes which will eventually be sold at prices well above the average family’s.

Not far from Newquay is the picturesque village of Mawgan Porth, which has been described as a ‘mini Hollywood’ thanks to its host of high-end residents. Jason Statham, Jason Momoa and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin are believed to own property in the exclusive village.

The presence of such high-profile personalities lends a touch of glamor to the beach during the summer, promising the chance of casual encounters with stars such as Kate Winslet and Noel Gallagher. However, all this glamor has a downside – soaring house prices, leaving little room for locals. Local travel agent Kim Prophet, 30, told Cornwall Live: “It’s getting more and more expensive. He’s dead in the winter.”

“Detailing the housing crisis, a Cornwall Council representative told Cornwall Live: “We sympathize with those who are struggling to find somewhere to live as Cornwall continues to face extreme and unprecedented housing pressures due to an imbalance in housing demand and supply.

“Over the past three years, the number of households in need of emergency accommodation has increased by around 222% to 837, while the number of households on our social housing register is 19,991 households. Last year we went £10.3m over our temporary and emergency housing budget.

There is a high demand for accommodation, which includes our own housing stock, properties we rent and other accommodation

“In Truro, the local council initiated a makeshift solution with Portakabin-style ‘housing cabinets’ to house some of the homeless population – yet a significant number still endure life on the streets.

But, there may be hope in sight. A Liskeard school teacher told Joe that the previous Labor government had had a positive impact on the region and that the drastic decline in Cornwall was linked to the 14-year Tory tenure. With a change of tenant expected at Number 10 this week, there could be just a little light at the end of the tunnel for the people of Cornwall.