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Romanians camp out in park
DOZENS of Romanians are camped in Hyde Park sleeping rough without food and fresh water.
They have come to Westminster for a new life following the expansion of the European Union on January 1.
The council is not legally entitled to help the desperate community in any way, other than to pay for their flights home, and are urging the government to release funds to tackle anti-social behaviour.
When the West End Extra visited the site a 31-year-old man, who did not want to be named, issued a plea for help.
He said: “I came to earn money for my family and I won’t give up. It is not ideal – but it’s free and better than returning home. We are scared that if we ask for help we will be sent home or arrested.”
Housing chief Councillor Angela Harvey said: “We started to see Romanians arriving who, unlike the Poles that came in 2004, were primarily single, fit, healthy and desperate for work. But the people arriving from January are family groups seeking accommodation. We are very concerned about children travelling with them. We are responsible for all children coming into Westminster.”
Under strict rules, immigrants who are not self employed, “skilled” or have work permits are denied benefits or shelter.
But the families with children have created a conundrum for the council, which says it has a duty to help the children but has no funds or accommodation to do so.
A council spokesman said some assessments had been made of children, but they did not qualify for help because they have parents.
The council has already spent their £213, Government allowance on booking the immigrants one-way tickets home. They are urging the government to release more funds.
Tory MP for Cities and Westminster Mark Field said: “In the run-up to the EU enlargement, I and Westminster Council warned repeatedly of the increased dangers of jobless and unqualified nationals from the new EU accession countries ending up sleeping rough on the streets and adding to instability as well as fuelling crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We have to deter people from coming to this country in the hope of ‘finding London streets paved with gold’ when the truth is at best ‘late-night soup while sleeping rough in the capital’.
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