
Simon Lightwood, MP for Wakefield and Rothwell has welcomed Wakefield Council’s efforts to hugely reduce the amount of homeless people accommodated at the Citilodge Hotel on Lower Warrengate in Wakefield city centre, having been calling for this since March 2023.
Previously, the hotel had been used as emergency accommodation for homeless people in the Wakefield District. Local residents and business owners had reported significant issues with antisocial behaviour, drug-taking and other criminal issues.
In March 2023, Mr Lightwood held meetings with local businesses, West Yorkshire Police (WYP) and Wakefield Council to hear their concerns about the situation. At that time, Mr Lightwood called for the hotel to be ‘closed in its current form’, due to the impact on those living and working nearby.
As of December 2024, Wakefield Council do not have any homeless people placed in Citilodge.
This comes after the new Labour Government has committed to invest £450 million into councils across England to tackle homelessness for some of the most vulnerable families in society.
Simon Lightwood MP said,
“I’m really pleased that Wakefield’s Labour Council have acted on this, after our relentless local campaigning.
“I know that this will be welcomed by residents and local businesses alike.
“The Council have a statutory duty to provide emergency housing to those who are homeless, and I know there was a lack of suitable accommodation locally.
“However, placing many extremely vulnerable people in one place created a ticking time bomb of antisocial behaviour and criminality.
“It was putting even more pressure on our local police and hugely impacting local businesses in the area.
“This is the right decision and I thank Wakefield Council for their work on this, supported by funds from our new Labour Government.”
Cllr Maureen Cummings, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Poverty, said:
“Lack of appropriate accommodation is a national issue. But by working with our partners, we have reduced our use of hotel accommodation to support people that are homeless by over 80% since March.
“This has resulted in significant savings of over £450,000.
“Early intervention is key to support those at risk. And we are continuing to work closely with our partners to do the very best we can to support those who need it.”