Tent city, families sleeping rough & kids ‘too poor’ for the beach… desperate seaside town dubbed ‘Scarbados’ laid bare
Many in the community are critical of the council's plans
A STRUGGLING seaside town has launched a multi million pound plan to become the “Yorkshire Riviera” – while some of its kids are growing up in such grinding poverty they’ve never been able to make the short trip to the beach.
Civic chiefs in Scarborough believe it can be transformed into ‘Scarbados‘ with attractions including a clifftop zip wire and a plush new hotel.
Developers plan to spend millions to repair the North Yorkshire coastal resort’s battered reputation and restore it to its heyday when it was Britain’s most celebrated holiday destination.
However, the bold push to land a tourism bonanza has not been well received by everyone.
The Sun visited Scarborough and found that behind the twinkling lights of the seafront boutiques and arcades lies a dangerous world of crime, drug addiction, homelessness and families struggling to feed their children.
Soaring property prices, pushed skyward by developers establishing high end airbnbs, mean that locals are being priced out of the market and, in worrying numbers, forced onto the streets.
In the Scarborough the tourists don’t see, there are entire families rough sleeping, desperate parents who rely on overstretched community centres to give their kids hot meals and people living in tent communities which are hidden away from the gaze of council wardens.
Rough sleepers are abused, spat at and even urinated on by people who don’t believe their plight is genuine.
And children on one Scarborough estate are reaching primary school age without ever experiencing the joy of running along the sandy beaches enjoyed by the tourists.
Barrowcliff is one of three Scarborough districts which are among the most deprived 1 per cent in the whole of England, according to the most recent indices of deprivation.
Many locals are on the breadline and, without help from the estate’s Gallows Close community centre would face the choice of either heating their homes or eating.
Priced out
The centre is run by community champion Kimmie Avison, who is currently serving around 200 free meals a week in its cafe and has so far come to the aid of over 8,000 struggling Scarborough locals since opening its doors.
Kimmi said: “There are kids on the estate who haven’t visited the beach, which people find shocking, but it’s true.
“When you think about it, how is a single mum with maybe five children and not enough money to go around going to manage that?
“She can’t afford public transport to get her family there and when they arrive there’s the expectation that the kids will want to buy an ice cream or play in an arcade.
“There are families here who are on the breadline and even a trip across the town to the beach is out of the question.
“That’s why we’re here and our help has never been needed more than it is right now.”
Asked about the council’s ambitious plans, aimed at bringing in visitors, she shakes her head.
“I’ve said time and time again that they need to concentrate first on improving the lives of people who actually live here before ploughing more money into the tourist industry.
“They held meetings called ‘Finding Your Voice’ where I made the case for the people of these deprived areas to be given a better life.
“It would make sense for locals to have a concession card they can use at local businesses during the off season when the tourists aren’t coming in.
“I’m sure businesses would want to help struggling local people, who could pay maybe 20 per cent less for a warm meal or a hot drink.
“But nothing ever happens to help local kids who are just priced out of attractions that the tourists can easily afford.
“I know families who would love to take their kids to the local leisure pool but it costs £20 per ticket and that’s just so far out of the reach of the majority of the people who come to this centre.
“We do take children down to the beach in supervised trips with our amazing volunteers and it is so worth it just to see the look of joy on their little faces.
“These are simple pleasures others might take for granted but they bring such happiness to lives that are sometimes lacking it.”
I left, took what I could easily carry and started living in a field near a canal
Michael
Kimmie and her team will be making sure that on Christmas Day the most deprived households on Barrowcliff have a warm meal to feed their children and at least a few presents around the tree.
The hundreds of meals provided each week are free to those who need them, provided by donations from across North Yorkshire.
Tent homes
A warm meal is the least of Michael’s* problems as he returns “home” each night to a tent.
The 52-year-old, a qualified engineer and mechanic, is part of a small community of homeless men who have pitched their flimsy canvas dwellings in a circle for protection around a firepit.
Michael sleeps on a pile of six duvets and under a heap of woollen blankets in a bid to stave off the sub zero December cold snap. He doesn’t once complain about his lot.
“I had a decent job not that long ago, paid my rent and lived what people might consider to be a normal life,” he says with a shrug.
“But I didn’t get on with my boss and I lost my job at a galvanised steel plant in Bradford.
“I was getting by, but during lockdown my landlord decided to put my rent up and I just couldn’t afford it any more, so that was that, I left, took what I could easily carry and started living in a field near a canal.
“I had some issues with my family so there was nothing keeping me anywhere and I decided to make the move to Scarborough because I like the seaside, life on the coast just agrees with me.
“I’ve been here for a few months and I like it, I know how to look after myself and no one really bothers me.
“I’ve met some other guys and we have a camp which we’ve managed to keep hidden away because we’re well aware that if the council find us they’ll turf us out and move us on.
“So we live quietly and don’t bother anyone. We have a generator to provide electricity when we need it and I keep myself nice and warm with all my bedding.
“I know some people get hassle from people passing by but we don’t. I think it helps that one of the guys has a massive dog. It’s a Dogue de Bordeaux/Mastiff cross so we find people don’t want to bother us much.
“Life is OK. I don’t have any bills, me and the guys all look after each other and I can move wherever I want if I choose to.
Yorkshire Council Speaks Out
IN a statement about homelessness and deprivation in Scarborough, North Yorkshire's director for community development Nic Harne defended the council's record.
“Like many seaside towns in the UK, Scarborough can have issues with hardship. That’s linked to access to jobs and opportunities.
“We want to support all the things that have long-term benefits for Scarborough. This includes tourism, which brings jobs and new opportunities. However, we also make sure that people who need support can get it.
“We have a statutory duty to prevent homelessness and to help those threatened with or who are actually homeless. Ensuring every resident has a secure and affordable home and the right support is being looked at by lots of different organisations working together.
“If someone is sleeping rough, we offer help to get them off the streets as soon as possible. We also have a scheme where no one spends a second night sleeping rough.
“Meanwhile, we are developing both accommodation and support for our most vulnerable, including long-term rough sleepers and we are committed to spending our second homes council tax premium on the county’s housing-related issues.
“In addition, we’ve been: Working with the police and local traders to help deal with anti-social behaviour. Through our partnership arrangements with health and social landlords, addressing homelessness faced by particular groups of people, including those presenting with multiple or complex needs.
“This includes the provision of accommodation to those with a history of sleeping rough through a ‘Housing First’ approach and providing intensive and bespoke support where needed, directly support people through ‘warm welcome’ spaces and with a range of help around the cost of living.
It also includes increasing the amount of temporary accommodation in Scarborough (this includes 11 new homes) and always looking at improving the quality of the accommodation used, and securing funding to increase accommodation and resources.
“As part of our commitment as a council covering the largest county in the country, we are always working with local communities on the issues that matter most to them.
“This is paramount in Scarborough – we are working to making improvements to tackle issues facing the town and will continue to communicate the outcomes of this work to residents as it moves forward.”
“I don’t miss my old life and I think I maybe look at life differently to some people and I’m strange in a good way. I have programmed myself to take whatever life throws at me on the chin and keep smiling.
“I’m in my 50s and have a full head of hair so life ain’t too bad really is it?”
He believes more could be done to look after Scarborough’s homeless and despite his own plight he has become a volunteer at The Rainbow Centre, a desperately needed refuge for the town’s most desperate people.
Michael said: “Back in Bradford the homeless were fed three times a day. There’s a real problem here but the Rainbow Centre is the only place I know that’s helping people.
“The council should be looking after its own before building hotels and zip wires.”
Jo Laking, CEO of the Rainbow Centre, fears for the future of the town’s most needy.
She said: “The situation in Scarborough is desperate and I can only see it getting worse.
“Many people here work for minimum wage in tourist-facing industries and in many cases that work is seasonal, so they’re already in a difficult situation.
“But add to that the fact that properties are being bought up to convert into expensive AirBnBs and you find that local people can no longer afford their rent.
“In some cases we’ve seen rents rise from £550 to £950 in the space of a year. That’s just unaffordable and families inevitably are losing their homes.
“We have seen entire families sleeping rough during the summer months and there are people across the town in tents or on benches.
“They come in here every day to warm themselves through and have something to eat before they go back to face it all again.
“Unfortunately we’re seeing homeless people spat at and even urinated on by people who tell them “you are just drug addicts and alcoholics.”
“In so many cases people who are on the streets turn to substances simply as a way of getting them through, but we hope that they come and find us.
We have seen entire families sleeping rough during the summer months and there are people across the town in tents or on benches
Jo Laking
“We take in people who are broken and give them hope, we try to find some solution to their problems and make life better wherever we can.
“The people who come to us are often victims of life events like losing their employment – so many people are only one pay cheque away from losing their home.
“It could be a family breakdown, a relationship coming to an end, or increasingly a landlord triggering a no fault eviction.
“We have also had ex forces personnel with PTSD who have been lsot and let down by the system and find themselves on the streets”
The centre, which has been operating through donations for the past 27 years, is making around 12,500 “critical interventions” every year to Scarborough’s homeless.
Currently they are giving Severe Weather Emergency Provisions to 15-20 rough sleepers every day of the week.
Back in Barrowcliff, grandmother of 32 Jane Grant, 54, has brought some of her large family for a warm breakfast at The Gallows.
Divorcee Jane, a foster carer, has three children and her partner, who she plans to marry in January, has seven.
She said: “We have a huge family between us which can be a real stretch at Christmas with 32 grandchildren to look after.
“The Gallows Centre is a Godsend to so many people from Barrowcliff and other estates in this part of town.
“They do an incredible job and are always giving out hot breakfasts and lunches and anything from bread to dog food and nappies to the people that need them.
“It’s an incredible place and it’s somewhere you can come without judgement or prejudice. When we come through those doors everyone is the same.”
Regeneration Hope
North Yorkshire police are fighting organised crime on Barrowcliff and throughout 2024 have launched a series of drugs raids.
Multi-agency teams are working within the community as part of a project named ‘Building Barrowcliff Together’ – which was launched back in March to drive out organised crime and secure a better future for the estate.
In this town when you’re in need you’re invisible to people who walk past
Anonymous rough sleeper
They have urged locals to help them identify drug dealers spreading misery through the community.
A force spokesman assured residents: “You will not be asked for your name. It’s not about “grassing” but it will help to remove drugs from your community.”
In the town centre, one rough sleeper, a man in his twenties who did not wish to be named, told The Sun: “In this town when you’re in need you’re invisible to people who walk past and when you want to be left in peace to try to sleep you’re a target for kicks and punches and abuse.
“While the council plans to bring in tourists by building posh hotels, we’re the forgotten locals who they don’t even think about.”
The plans for Scarborough are wide-reaching and ambitious.
Plans have been submitted and are under consideration for a huge 650 meter zip line on the site of the crumbling Marvel Amusement Park which has stood derelict for more than 20 years.
If approved, the development would include four zip lines between two launch and landing towers, as well as reception and safety areas and containers, marquees, gazebos, and toilets.
Coronation Street star Antony Cotton has also raised the town’s profile by investing in property.
He is currently renovating a former church into a stylish luxury airbnb and says he loved the town.
Cotton said: “I do honestly believe that the drive into Scarborough as you come in from the big bridge with the sea on your right at night – I don’t think there’s a better view than that. It still takes my breath away when I see it.
“Scarborough is a very honest seaside town and is getting the love it deserves. I probably go over at least once a month, sometimes more than that – I spend a lot of time at Catterick with the Army and often come over after.
“I love it out of season when it is quiet and we are in the Old Town which has its own separate vibe.”
Further proposals are afoot to build a luxury four star hotel on the site of a disused open air swimming pool, a plan which would bring much-needed jobs, according to the local authority.
North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, said: “The provision of a high-quality hotel is intrinsic to realising the overall objectives to develop the North Bay and remains a key strategic focus for the future growth and prosperity of the town.
“It would bring in jobs, increased overnight stays and therefore increased spend in the town contributing to the wider economy, community and social benefit of the county.”
*Names have been changed to protect identity
