Revealed: Homeless people offered chairs not beds by councils in extreme weather

When Darren, not his real name, was brought off the street last year to escape freezing temperatures while homeless in Hackney, north-east London, he spent the night trying to sleep on six plastic chairs.

“It was really awkward and I didn’t sleep very well either. It was just that it was way too cold outside and it was the lesser of two evils. I usually slept in the day time anyway and the night I would be awake,” he told Big Issue.

“I did try to get a couple of hours [of sleep] and I just stayed in pain, like a discomfort in my hips from being on the plastic chairs. There was no bedding or duvets or anything, even if you went to lay on the floor you would have been laying on a hard surface.”

Darren is a member of the Museum of Homelessness’ (MOH) community. The grassroots group has been investigating how councils respond to extreme weather to protect rough sleepers.

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, known as Swep, is offered by councils during spells where the weather poses a threat to life, bringing homeless people off the streets to be temporarily housed indoors.

There is no legal requirement for councils to take action or central funding for local authorities from the government to cover accommodation.

With extreme weather becoming more frequent, MOH’s investigation, shared exclusively with Big Issue, found more evidence of ‘sit-ups’ being used.

As Darren experienced in Hackney, ‘sit-ups’ see people experiencing homelessness being offered a chair for the night rather than a bed.

The practice hit the headlines in January. Manchester Evening News reported on ‘sit-ups’ following the death of Anthony Horn on Manchester’s streets in freezing conditions on Boxing Day. MEN reporting suggested some rough sleepers opted not to go indoors when offered a ‘sit-up’ service despite the dangers outdoors.

MOH submitted Freedom of Information requests to 91 local authorities in England and Wales to find out more about how they protect rough sleepers. The research included all 32 London boroughs, the 50 most populated cities, and places where more than 15 rough sleepers were recorded in official counts.

The group confirmed ‘sit-up’ accommodation was offered in 11 places but they believed this was an underestimate. MOH found evidence sit-ups were used in Cambridge, Cornwall, Hackney, Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Doncaster, Sunderland, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle and Reading.

John Bird, founder of Big Issue and crossbench peer, said: “It’s troubling to see many councils only offer people a seat to sleep on during a night of extreme weather. A bed is the least we can offer someone seeking an escape from potentially life-threatening conditions.”

In its second investigation into how councils employed Swep, MOH found local authorities were increasingly aware of the need to act in extreme weather.

But vital gaps in support remained, with local authorities still most likely to employ Swep for cold weather despite the dangers of extreme heat, high winds and heavy rain. 

The latter has been a particular issue in recent months with January being the wettest on record – but despite the risk, MOH found little evidence that Swep has been employed to move rough sleepers off the streets during intense rainfall.

“2023 and 2024 were both in the top 10 wettest years of the last two centuries. Fourteen named storms hit the UK in that time. The fact that so few councils activated Swep for heavy rain in the period is a blatant failure,” Lord Bird added.

“Sleeping in a storm is no less dangerous than sleeping in a frost. Local authorities clearly need to broaden their criteria and ensure Swep’s powers are fully comprehensive in protecting rough sleepers.”

MOH found the number of days when Swep has been activated fell over the last few years. During 2020 to 2021, there were 482 activations covering 2,871 days. From 2023 to 2024, there were 262 activations covering 1,917 days.

In total, 87% of the councils MOH quizzed had measures in place to support homeless people in severe weather conditions between 2022 and 2024. That represented a 13% rise compared to the previous two-year period MOH investigated.

Nearly two-thirds of all councils surveyed had created new measures to address extreme weather over the period.

But the research shows councils continue to respond primarily to cold weather. A total of 90% of Swep activations were for cold weather only. MOH found little evidence that Swep had been used for heavy rain or wind.

Responding to the research, Stephen Bell, chief executive of homelessness charity Changing Lives, said: “Severe Weather Emergency Protocol exists to protect life, and it must reflect the reality of the climate we are now living in.

“While it is positive to see growing awareness of extreme weather, too often Swep is still only activated in cold temperatures.

“In recent years we have seen severe rainfall, flooding and extreme heat create horrendous and dangerous conditions for people experiencing rough sleeping. Severe weather should mean exactly that – whatever form it takes in this country – and our response needs to evolve accordingly.”

‘Councils still have a long way to go to make Swep humane and effective’

MOH has called for Swep to be made a statutory duty, forcing local authorities to act.

But local authorities are already facing a funding challenge to address a homelessness crisis and the climate crisis could see Swep needed more often and for longer periods.

Last week, the official rough sleeping snapshot counted record-high numbers on the street in England while the local authorities in the country are facing an almost £3 billion bill to support people experiencing homelessness. The Local Government Association projected that figure may rise by another billion by 2029-30.

‘Sit-ups’ also offer a rapid response alternative when local authorities need to act quickly to get people off the streets.

“The increasing reliance on so-called ‘sit-up’ provision is particularly concerning. No one would describe a chair or sofa in a communal space as adequate overnight accommodation,” Bell added.

“At the same time, we have to confront the difficult reality providers face. If the alternative is someone remaining outside in freezing temperatures or torrential rain, a warm indoor space – even with only a seat – may reduce immediate harm.

“The real question is why local systems are forced into that choice in the first place. Are we commissioning enough emergency beds? Are services adequately funded to hold voids for SWEP activation?

“Without sufficient funding and strategic planning, local authorities and providers are left managing risk rather than delivering dignity. Ultimately, emergency provision should be about safety and humanity, not the bare minimum people will tolerate.”

MOH criticised councils for failing to communicate about Swep on their websites, as was the case for nearly half of the local authorities surveyed. 

The group also found 42% of responding councils used some form of verification system – including mental health assessments, risk assessments and triaging procedures – at times of extreme weather.

MOH has called for Swep to become unconditional and urged one-night activations to be discontinued. 

Additionally, it has said Swep should be included in local and central government climate mitigation plans, as well as efforts to formally expand it to include heatwaves and extreme rainfall.

MOH has also published a set of tools to help local authorities assess the quality of their Swep offering for people experiencing homelessness.

Read more:

• Homeless people needed protecting from hot weather more than ever before in 2025
• The climate crisis is making it harder for councils to protect rough sleepers from extreme weather
• Climate change means ending homelessness is even more important. Here’s why

Matt Turtle, co-director of the Museum of Homelessness said: “As the weather becomes more extreme, the window for change is closing.

“Councils still have a long way to go to make Swep both humane and effective. We call on all local authorities and service providers to implement our recommendations in 2026.”

Without increased action, people like Darren risk facing the elements alone.

In recent weeks, that has meant dealing with wet weather.

“It’s been the rain that’s annoying me because it’s been raining at night all the time,” said Darren. “I’ve had to wait at a bus stop, waiting for a bus I’m never getting on but just waiting for the rain to stop.

“Then I just go back to where I was and try to just pass the rest of the evening away. But it’s just been raining for hours. Or the rain has come at a time when I’m just relaxing and resting and getting some energy back and then I’ve got to get up.”

A Hackney Council spokesperson told Big Issue: “Our priority is to ensure people have access to safe indoor accommodation during severe weather.

“SWEP is an emergency response used during periods of extreme weather to ensure people sleeping rough are not left outside in dangerous conditions.

“Our outreach teams work closely with partner services to offer dedicated indoor spaces during these periods, and the Hackney Service Centre provides a warm and sheltered environment to protect people from freezing temperatures while support and accommodation options are arranged.”

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