A petition signed by more than 500 people has urged Norwich City Council to review its homeless shelter policy to avoid the risk of people freezing to death on the streets this winter.

Representatives from the Green Party put together the petition in response to a letter sent to the Guardian newspaper last December.

In it, a city charity worker claimed a homeless man had been told to walk around a 24-shop all night to keep out of freezing temperatures because no emergency accommodation was available.

The petition calls for City Hall to confirm that overnight winter shelters will be open every day of the week this winter, as well as review the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol so that it takes into account all forms of extreme weather, not just temperature. 

A petition signed by more than 500 people was presented to the authority earlier this weekA petition signed by more than 500 people was presented to the authority earlier this week (Image: Newsquest) Serene Shibli, a local campaigner and Green Party member who helped present the petition said: "It's unacceptable that in Norwich, a 'city of sanctuary', we have city council policies that would turn away someone in need and risk leaving people out in dangerously low temperatures.

"It's reckless and irresponsible and we need to be demanding more as no one should be left out in the cold."

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In 2019, there were estimated to be around 10 rough sleepers in the city. By 2023, this number had halved. 

According to charity St Martins, this is just a "snapshot" of the total number.

The number of people sleeping rough in Norwich has fallen over the last few years but there is still a concern for safetyThe number of people sleeping rough in Norwich has fallen over the last few years but there is still a concern for safety (Image: Newsquest) Councillor Hannah Hoechner added: "The council's current policy would leave people out in potentially freezing temperatures for up to three days and it does not take into account the 'feels-like' temperature or other extreme weather conditions like rain, snow or gales.

"Experiences on the ground show us that people in need have been refused access in the past.

"We must make sure this never happens again and we hope that political groups across the Chamber will unite to support this motion so that nobody risks dying of cold on Norwich's streets this winter."