‘Living life amongst the dead’ as homeless crisis in Cornwall escalates

In the UK’s most deprived county, the homeless are living in tents, buses, and even in one case a bizarre hut made of gravestones because they have been priced out of the property market. YouTuber Joe Fish visited Cornwall, to try to understand how the county that’s home to celebrities such as Gordon Ramsey, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan, and even (occasionally) the King himself can also be one of the poorest areas in the whole of Europe.

Joe explained how a combination of rising prices, limited employment and the massive growth of second homes and holiday lets has “has created a perfect storm – turning a paradise into a nightmare on the brink of a housing emergency.”

Locals are doing whatever they can to find some shelter – many of them are in tents, or sleeping in their cars, but perhaps the most extraordinary find was a tiny hut built of old gravestones. The little hideaway even had a camouflaged door to conceal the occupant from the authorities: “When that door is closed you'd have no idea,” Joe said. “Absolutely shocking to see the living, living amongst the dead.”

One local dog-walker said that seeing homeless encampments was a daily event. She described how she had reported one or two to the authorities after “seeing no movement for several days,”and fearing that the person inside might need medical help.

“There's a lot of homelessness with the housing crisis,” she added. “A lot of people are in temporary housing and the ones that don't get temporary housing get tents and also there's a lot of people buying from up–country and with local wages people can’t afford to buy.”

Cornwall county council spends over £10m on temporary accommodation every year, further enriching hoteliers and property-owners but doing little for the people who need permanent homes.

The council purchased a holiday park called Sandbank Holidays in January 2022 as part of a £15m property package to provide good quality temporary accommodation for 20 families.” Despite repeated promises that tenants would be moving in “within days,” it still stands empty.

Right next door to Newquay’s Sandy Lodge hotel, where locals are currently being put up by the council, is a new development of luxury town-houses which will eventually be sold for prices far beyond the reach of the average family.

Not far from Newquay lies the picturesque village of Mawgan Porth, which has been described as a “mini Hollywood” because of its host of A-list residents. Jason Statham, Jason Momoa and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin are all believed to own properties in the exclusive village.

Mawgan Porth, near Newquay on the north coast of Cornwall, is home to a number of high-profile stars.

Oscar-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett, action man Jason Statham and Aquaman actor Jason Momoa. Actress Imogen Stubbs, Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci are also reported to have bought holiday homes in the village.

It lends a touch of glamour to the beach in summer, when you can expect to bump into the likes of Kate Winslet and Noel Gallagher on the beach, but all that glamour inevitably means rising prices, and little left for locals. Kim Prophet, 30, who works as a travel agent in the area told Cornwall Live: “ It gets more and more expensive. It's dead during the winter.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council told Cornwall Live: "We are sympathetic towards those who are finding it difficult to find somewhere settled to live as Cornwall continues to experience extreme and unprecedented pressures on housing due to an imbalance in housing supply and demand.

"‌In the last three years, the number of households in need of emergency accommodation has increased by around 222% to 837, while the number of households on our social housing register is 19,991 households. Last year we exceeded our temporary and emergency housing budget by £10.3m. There is a high demand for accommodation which includes our own housing stock, properties that we rent and other accommodation. "

In Truro, the local authority has set up Portakabin-style “housing pods,", catering to the needs of a few homeless people in the county – but many more are left living on the streets.

There could just be some light at the end of the tunnel though.

A teacher from Liskeard school told Joe that the previous government had done a lot for the area, and that Cornwall’s sharp decline had coincided with the 14 years of Conservative government. With the resident of No.10 almost certainly set to change this week, perhaps there will be some good news for the people of Cornwall.