Charity Doorway claims Wiltshire Council is letting down homeless people.

The Chippenham charity, which supports rough sleepers, said the council has failed to assess many homeless people.

The council has a statutory obligation to accept an homeless application from someone who is, or is threatened with, homelessness. But, the charity claims, a number of people have been dissuaded from applying, even though some sleep in tents and cars.

One Doorway volunteer lodged a formal complaint to the council about the way a recent referral to its adult care department, about a client who has been homeless for six weeks, was handled. They said they were offered no help and even had the phone put down on them.

Lisa Lewis, Doorway chief executive, said: “It is Doorway’s duty of care to ensure that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our local community are signposted effectively to the relevant statutory and support agencies, in this case Housing Options at Wiltshire Council.

“We then rely on the local authority to make adequate enquiries to establish whether an applicant is eligible for assistance and, if so, what duties are owed to the applicant under the Housing Act 1996.

“A significant amount of our work is currently involved with challenging the council’s decisions not to carry out homelessness assessments for rough sleepers. They are also, suddenly, and possibly due to the high numbers of people we are referring to them, unfairly demanding written proof of homelessness.

“No one would choose to sleep in a tent in Chippenham during our recent wet weather unless they were, in fact, homeless.”

There were seven rough sleepers at the charity’s latest drop-in meeting on Monday.

Martin Searle, a local GP and Doorway volunteer, said: “We have had experience of people who haven’t had their statutory assessment done and had been put off applying for various reasons. It has got to the stage now where we have sent people to the solicitors to seek legal action.

“We are not saying everyone can be housed immediately but the should at least be properly assessed within 24 hours.”

Coun John Thomson, cabinet member for adult care, communities and housing, said: “I feel we have responded to their concerns in an appropriate and timely manner.

“They go on about having discussions with people at the council but they don’t have a name and it isn’t backed up. I am quite disappointed in the way they have conducted themselves. I am very confident our staff have dealt with it in a proper way and in the way cases have been handled.”