C&S EARTHQUAKE LIMITED

Councillor Natalie McVey

Malvern Hills District Council
Portfolio Holder for Housing and Health 21st October 2019
Hugo Sugg, Director
Natalie.mcvey@malvernhillsdc.net
Email: hugo@hugosearthquake.org

Dear Natalie,
I write to you with interest in regards to the news published last week that Malvern Hills
District Council are contributing £7,400 of taxpayers money to Maggs Day Centre to create a
‘day centre’ in Malvern Town (Worcester News, 18th October: https://bit.ly/2o6QkKi). I write
this letter in my capacity as a homelessness campaigner with the ‘Hugo’s Earthquake’
Campaign.
As I am sure you are aware, the county-wide Worcestershire homelessness support service
and outreach service was substantially changed in April 2016, reducing outreach for rough
sleepers to an undefined ‘light touch’ service. In 2018, Maggs Day Centre headquartered in
Worcester, were successful in getting National Lottery funding for a 3 year Worcestershire-
wide outreach service to find, assist and support rough sleepers.
Since the tragic and unfortunate deaths of Malvern residents Remi Boczarski and ‘Joby’
Sparrey in the last quarter of 2018, I understand there has been a renewed and strong focus
on homelessness in Malvern and the surrounding areas. The news of Mr Boczarski and Mr
Sparrey’s deaths followed on from the death of Cardon Banfield in 2016 and 2 unnamed
homeless rough sleepers in Worcester since Mr Banfield.
Reacting to the deaths in 2018 mentioned, there was an establishment of a community group
in the town of Malvern named ‘Malvern Cares’ – led by Town Councillor Samantha Charles in
2019 which aims to raise awareness of homelessness in the area. Since the summer there has
been a move to create a day centre for people who present as homeless or vulnerable in
Malvern, run by Maggs Day Centre at a cost of £38,000 a year. In November 2018, the official
count of rough sleepers in the Malvern Hills district was two (count undertaken by Malvern
Hills District Council and other organisations).
I hereby ask for a formal submission, if necessary under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
for the business case that was made to the Council which justifies the £7,400 being given to
Maggs Day Centre to be made public. As a lead funder, I also wish to seek clarification on how
the Council will be managing the safeguarding of rough sleepers who participate in this service
and the responsibilities to the Local Authority, which are set out in the Care Act 2014.

C&S Earthquake Ltd. | Company Number 11221978

www.wordpress.csearthquake.com – Tweet us: @CSEarthquake
Registered Address: Other End Cottage, Upper Moor, Pershore, WR10 2JR
(Please note this is not a correspondence address)
 C&S EARTHQUAKE LIMITED

I believe that it is in the public interest for this information to be made available and what the
impact for rough sleepers and the community as a whole in Malvern will be. Homelessness is
a Public Health issue, thus deserving of cross-departmental recognition and action and
therefore we await receipt of these documents.

As a Campaign, we are working extremely hard to tackle the issue of rough sleeping and
homelessness in Worcestershire and beyond, and wish to work cooperately with yourselves
in the Local Authority on justifiable solutions and pathways.

If you wish to contact me in more detail about the reasons for requesting this information,
please do not hesitate to. I look forward to your response to this letter and sight of the
information requested.
For information this letter (and response) will be published on the Campaign website, the link
to which is www.hugosugg.wordpress.com.

Yours Sincerely,

cc. Mel Akers

Chair of Trustees
Maggs Day Centre
Jack Hegarty
Chief Executive
Malvern Hills District Council
Harriet Baldwin MP
Member of Parliament
West Worcestershire

C&S Earthquake Ltd. | Company Number 11221978

www.wordpress.csearthquake.com – Tweet us: @CSEarthquake
Registered Address: Other End Cottage, Upper Moor, Pershore, WR10 2JR
(Please note this is not a correspondence address)