Owners of holiday parks who market properties to live in as permanent homes, despite having to close for two months every year, could be targeted by Swale council.

The authority is in the process of putting together a Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy which will map out how it plans to tackle the issue until 2023.

It was discussed at the latest Swale Policy Development and Review Committee.

Cllr Cameron Beart (Con) suggested targeting the parks, which close for part of the year and results in people declaring themselves homeless while they are shut.

He said: “Holiday camps market homes as permanent residencies, despite only being allowed to stay open for 10 months.

“People are knowingly buying properties and intentionally making themselves homeless for two months which puts a burden on us adding more stress for our housing officers.

“Can we not tackle the owners of these camp sites?”

Responding, cabinet member for housing Cllr Alan Horton (Con) said the council should refuse to help people who become homeless this way.

He said: “We need to make it very, very clear early on that we won’t take the report of homelessness because it’s clear they’ve entered into a contractual agreement.

“My view is you’ve made yourself homeless, you knew it was coming and it’s down to you to sort it out.”

The strategy will also set out how the council plans to combat the disparity between house prices and incomes, cost of the private rented sector compared to housing allowance rates, lack of affordable housing and properties not meeting a decent standard.

Cllr Horton revealed the authority does not have the funds to meet four years of the plan, but it has bid for about £150,000 of Government cash to help with its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) – access to emergency housing for rough sleepers when temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing.

Generally, about five people take advantage of SWEP but it is thought up to about 30 are sleeping rough across the borough.

Cllr Horton added: “We need to work with local charities to make a provision available on the Island.”

Specialist consultancy firm, Housing Quality Network, was brought in to advise officers on the new Housing Reduction Act - introduced in 2017 - which calls on councils to have a strategy to tackle homelessness.

Swale’s plan is expected to go out for Public consultation is expected in the summer.