A “tent city” has sprung up just meters from the luxurious Savoy Hotel and several West End theaters.
The Adelphi Terrace makeshift camp is in one of London’s wealthiest areas, close to designer boutiques and restaurants owned by Gordon Ramsay.
The five-star Savoy Hotel, at £800 a night, is home to three restaurants from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, including the Savoy Grill, River Restaurant and 1890 Restaurant, at £175 per person.
Pictures and images show rows of tents used by homeless people just steps from the hotel and the Savoy and Adelphi theaters.
The “village” sprung up over the bank holiday weekend and now houses a dozen tents whose occupants use a mix of sleeping bags and mattresses.
One of the occupants, John Torrance, 45, believes the government cares more about immigrants than the homeless.
He said: “There is more money spent on immigration than on helping the homeless. We spend billions on other people’s problems, but what about the citizens of our own country?
The tent city near the Savoy Hotel in central London where homeless people sleep
John Torrance who says the government spends more on migrants than on the homeless
Above the encampment is the Grade II listed Adelphi Building, which houses the Economist magazine and Spotify, and was formerly the offices of the Department of Works and Pensions.
Mr Torrance, from East Yorkshire, has been on the streets since he was 17 and believes: ‘The government and the council don’t want us there, where there are shops and all that . This seems bad for business, bad for tourists.
‘That’s life. You get used to it. It’s no different from being inside.
Those living in the tents do their best to keep the area clean.
One tent had a brush outside, while other rough sleepers had their trash carefully placed in plastic bags.
Some tents are covered with tarps to further protect them from the elements.
There are locked bikes and most have mattresses and quilts or sleeping bags inside.
The row of tents stretching back and forth where Mr. Torrance and others live
The latest figures for the first quarter of 2024 show there were 850 homeless people in the borough of Westminster, an increase of 168 people compared to the same period in 2023.
Of these, 43.5% were from the United Kingdom, 18% were Romanian, 16% African, 7% Asian, 3.3% Polish and 2.5% from the Americas.
Iesha Muhammad lives in Adelphi Terrace with her autistic husband Dominic and suffers from the life-limiting ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that affects nerve cells in the spine and brain.
She said the couple are on Universal Credit but have struggled to find a landlord because they have no deposit or guarantor.
Another rough sleeper is a construction worker who came to the UK 13 years ago but had to stop working after developing a heart condition and requiring an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
He receives a personal independence payment (PIP) of £500 a month, but still cannot afford accommodation or the medication he needs.
A passerby and frequent visitor to the area expressed dismay at the situation, saying it showed the stark difference between London’s haves and have-nots.
The Savoy, one of London’s most expensive and sought-after hotels, located just off The Strand
The Savoy Theater which is located a few meters from the tent village and close to the Savoy Hotel
Remaining anonymous, she said: “I think it is cruel to encourage people to live there rather than giving them access to somewhere to sleep.
“They are human beings and they are people who have suffered. I feel like if you’re a tourist and you pass by you don’t see them, but if you live and work here you see them all the time.
“It seems like nothing is being done and it’s sad that nothing is happening and the situation is getting worse. It’s not right. No human being should live like this permanently.
A Westminster Council spokesperson said: “As the center of London, Westminster is a destination for rough sleepers, both in the UK and abroad, and the council spends significantly more than any other council – £7 million a year – to help those arriving. here.
“We are working with charity partners to provide outreach teams across the city. These teams work day and night to find and support people sleeping rough on our streets. Known gathering places are frequently visited.
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