The homelessness minister, Heather Wheeler, has apologised after leaked emails showed her using “racist” language to describe rough sleepers before she joined the government. A charity in nearby Burton said it had frequently provided services to rough sleepers from Wheeler’s constituency in the last few years. When asked why she congratulated the council for having no rough sleepers, she said that a return of zero “does not imply there are no rough sleepers in South Derbyshire throughout the year”. The Rev Davey Falcus, from Ashington Life Centre, called this a “joke” and said there were hundreds of rough sleepers in Northumberland county council’s jurisdiction. The council said accurately counting or estimating the number of people sleeping rough within its jurisdiction was inherently difficult, “given the hidden nature of rough sleeping”.

Source: The Guardian June 20, 2019 15:07 UTC