Dartford Council must do more to protect the homeless as temperatures drop close to freezing, say the borough’s Labour councillors.

Following the death of two rough sleepers in Chatham last month, Dartford Labour has criticised the inaction of the Conservative Council as the homeless face increasingly dangerous conditions over the coming days.

The council has declined to trigger an emergency protocol designed to prevent the deaths of homeless people on the streets, despite a request to do so from Labour.

The council’s Severe Weather Emergency protocol (SWEP) is triggered when temperatures are predicted to be zero degrees Celsius or below for three consecutive nights.

Although temperatures in Dartford are not currently forecast to fall below freezing, Labour have pointed to national guidelines encouraging “a common sense approach” that considers the impact of other elements when exercising the protocol.

Labour parish councillor for Stone Mandy Garford said: “In these conditions the council should be triggering SWEP to offer emergency accommodation to those on the streets to prevent a death in Dartford. The wind chill means these temperatures actually feel several degrees lower than forecast.”

Public Health England issued a warning on Tuesday, calling for everyone to “keep a close eye on those most at risk” in light of the Met Office forecasting another spell of cold weather, that started on Wednesday and will continue at least until the weekend.

Yesterday Mayor of London Sadiq Khan opened emergency cold weather shelters for London’s homeless, warning the public to “stay warm” and “look after each other”.

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Cllr Jonathon Hawkes.

Leader of the Labour Group and leader of the opposition on Dartford Borough Council, councillor Jonathon Hawkes, also called on the council to do more.

He said: “The next few days are likely to be incredibly tough for rough sleepers in Dartford.

"That’s why, in the light of the warning from Public Health England and recent tragic events in Medway, Labour are calling on the Conservative Council to use its powers to act immediately and trigger the emergency arrangements. Sadly, the response so far has not been good enough.

"If it's cold enough for the Dartford Churches Winter Shelter to throw their doors open early, cold enough for Porchlight to ask people to refer rough sleepers to their emergency support, it is surely cold enough for Dartford Borough Council to invoke the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol and provide the rough sleepers the protection and support they need.

"No one wants to see a repeat of the tragic events we've seen in Chatham."

A homeless man was found dead in Chatham town centre on 29 December, five days after the death of rough sleeper Michael McCluskey in Chatham High Street.

The emergency accommodation offered is likely be multi-occupancy housing in Gillingham as Dartford Council has no supported emergency shelter.

Government figures from 2015 suggest that the number of people sleeping on Britain’s streets has doubled since 2010.

Leeds, Manchester and Hull have seen “tent city” protests over the past few weeks, with homeless people demonstrating against what they see as local authority inaction on the issue.

Dartford Council were not available for comment.