"You can’t eat advice and it doesn’t keep you warm and safe."

That was the response from Chas Berry, of Justice For Medway Homeless People, after hearing Medway Council’s deputy leader Howard Doe explain how the council is tackling homelessness.

Mr Berry, from Strood, asked Cllr Doe, also portfolio holder for housing, how the council was addressing the needs of the increasing number of homeless people after the recent death of homeless man Samson Paine in Chatham town centre last month.

Cllr Doe said he could not comment on individual cases, except to suggest Mr Paine had been offered assistance, and said the council did offer "appropriate advice and assistance to prevent homelessness".

He said there was a network of organisations in place to help the homeless and insisted the council does offer a good service.

But he came under further fire on the subject from Tony Jeacock, from Rainham, who asked what practical help is offered to the homeless and said there was a disgraceful number of empty homes in Medway.

Disputing the latter point, Mr Doe said the number of empty houses was falling and the council was taking steps to "recycle properties".

He quoted a survey that found the number of rough sleepers in Medway was 14, but conceded the true figure could be higher.

Speaking after the meeting Labour leader councillor Vince Maple said the council should be doing more to offer help. "It’s a dark day for Medway when we have a front page like the one we had a few weeks back," he said, referring to the death of Mr Paine.

"That shook all of us and we should redouble our efforts.

"I accept the housing situation can’t be solved overnight but I still don’t think the council is doing all it can.

"In places like Southampton they’ve worked with the voluntary sector and others to increase provision and help those in the most desperate need."

He said the idea there were only 14 people sleeping rough in Medway was probably inaccurate and that Cllr Doe was wrong to quote the figure.

But he added: "Although he used that figure it was pleasing to hear him say it probably wasn’t accurate."

Cllr Maple said the council was offering the "statutory minimum" amount of support and called on it to do more.