ROUGH sleepers who were moved into hotels during the Covid-19 pandemic may end up back on the streets as businesses re-open their doors next month, says Southend Council.

When the pandemic began, the council was instructed by the Government to immediately find temporary housing for more than 100 rough sleepers to avoid the spread of the virus, with many placed in B&Bs and hotels.

But with the lockdown continuing to ease and hotels possibly re-opening next month, there are now fears many of those will have nowhere to go.

Council leader Councillor Ian Gilbert faced pressure over how the authority will provide longterm support at the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on Thursday night.

Conservative leader, councillor Tony Cox, pressed Mr Gilbert to guarantee this would not mean rough sleepers being put back on the streets.

“I would love to give that assurance and we are certainly doing everything humanly possible to make sure that isn’t the case,”

said Mr Gilbert.

“But we don’t have any certainty over how long the current arrangements will last. If B&Bs are able to start opening up and transferring back to business as usual tomorrow then we will have an extraordinary challenge on our hands.”

The Tory leader said he is “concerned” as the government has already announced the next phase of easing the lockdown could be July 4 and urged the administration to begin talks with temporary accommodation providers.

Mr Gilbert said those conversations were already happening and “between 20 and 30” rough sleepers have already been moved into longer-term accommodation.

When the lockdown began, the Government said landlords were unable to evict tenants until August 23 to ensure renters are given security during the pandemic.

But the council leader warned that when this ban is lifted, it could present further challenges