Deputy leader of Eastbourne accuses Brighton of “exporting” most challenging homeless people

Peter Diplock said the city had made a deliberate choice to place its most challenging people “out of sight, out of mind”.

In a letter to local senior coroner Fiona King, Cllr Diplock wrote concerning the recent deaths in Eastbourne of Stephen Carr and Daniel Ginsberg.

He wrote: “I believe that both these deaths were directly influenced by the homeless and out of area placement policies adopted by other local authorities, a situation that is having a significantly negative impact on Eastbourne.”

Cllr Diplock claimed a pattern had emerged of a policy in Brighton & Hove that placed “some of the most vulnerable and challenging housing clients away from the home authority’s area”

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In October 2023, there had been 42 homeless placements by Brighton & Hove in Eastbourne, but this had risen to 172 in May 2025 and was still increasing.

He said there were difficulties with placing such vulnerable clients away from friends, family, support networks, and health services, which left them isolated in Eastbourne and without effective support.

Tenancies inevitably broke down in the absence of such support, at which point “those clients effectively cease to be [Brighton & Hove’s] responsibility and instead fall to Eastbourne Borough Council”

Cllr Diplock said that last year, the city received almost £8m in government funding to prevent homelessness, while Eastbourne was allocated less than £900,000.

He said: “It is obvious to me that this out-of-area placement policy is a deliberate choice by [Brighton & Hove], to help alleviate their homeless challenge by exporting it to Eastbourne.”

He said Mr Carr and Mr Ginsberg had been sent to Eastbourne by Brighton & Hove and “effectively left to sink or swim” with an “almost complete absence of timely information sharing with Eastbourne and the police; all of this sets a tone, a background, to how BHCC operates, that enables a corporate strategy of ‘out of sight, out of mind’”.

Cllr Diplock claimed Brighton & Hove failed to take responsibility for its most vulnerable and challenging clients, “leaving them to fend for themselves, and die, in towns many miles away”.

In a statement reported by the BBC Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing at Brighton & Hove, said: ”The demand for housing far exceeds supply, and our priority remains to prevent homelessness wherever possible. We have invested significantly in early intervention services and have one of the highest prevention rates in the south east.

"Where temporary accommodation is necessary, we aim to place households within or near the city. However, due to limited availability and affordability, out-of-area placements are sometimes unavoidable. These decisions are never taken lightly, and we work to ensure that placements are safe, supported, and communicated appropriately.

"We are committed to improving our processes, including strengthening information sharing with receiving authorities and enhancing welfare checks.”

Brighton & Hove and the coroner have been contacted for comment.

Mark Smulian