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Housing

Have your say: Big Issue editor to host homelessness hustings in Cities of London and Westminster

Big Issue editor Paul McNamee will host a hustings on homelessness in the electorate, giving members of the public the opportunity to quiz candidates

The Cities of London and Westminster electorate is one of the safest Tory seats in the UK. It also has a homelessness problem with one of the highest concentrations of rough sleepers in the country.

As the general election looms, candidates for the seat are vying for voter attention. But what do they have to say about this most pressing of issues?

On Thursday (27 June), you have a chance to find out. Big Issue editor Paul McNamee will host a hustings on homelessness in the electorate, giving members of the public the opportunity to quiz candidates.

Conservative hopeful Tim Barnes will attend, as will Labour’s Rachel Blake, Edward Lucas for the Liberal Democrats, Tim Hallett representing the Modern Evolutionary Democracy Party, Reform UK’s Tarun Ghulati and John Generic, who is standing as an independent.

The hustings has been organised by The Connection at St Martin’s, a leading charity who help people who are rough sleeping to move away from, and stay off, the streets of London.

The issue couldn’t be more pressing. Rough sleeping rose by 27% in 2023 and 60% over the past two years. Meanwhile a record number of people, including over 145,000 children are currently experiencing homelessness, trapped living in temporary accommodation, often in squalid and overcrowded conditions.

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More than 1,500 private renters evicted by their landlord were forced to sleep on the streets of London last year, official statistics released this week show.

The hustings will be held on Thursday 27 June at 7pm at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Tickets are available here.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us moreBig Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

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